Shadow of Rain
by Olivia11791
Summary: When Minato miraculously survived the sealing, he thought he was given the chance to raise his son in happiness. But a cruel twist of fate leaves both empty handed, as Naruto must either find a way back to the father he never knew, or suffer in desolation
1. Cast into the Lion's Den

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of it's characters or settings- except the one's of my own creation.**

**Warnings: AU, OCness, mature content (violence, blood, adult themes)**

* * *

**Shadow of Rain**

Prologue

_Written by Olivia Ramsden_

_Betaed by MrsHellman_

* * *

Screams and panic filled the night of the 10th of October.

Overlooking the village, past the main gate, one could see fire and ash billowing swiftly into the sky. Ninja of all ranks, if not evacuating villagers, were heading towards the dark ominous clouds. When the screams weren't consuming their hearing, they could hear the bloodcurdling roar of the mighty beast that was the cause of all of the chaos. The giant fox stood his ground, creating havoc for the humans with merely one swing of his tails.

This was the scene Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure, came upon when he walked over to the windows of the hospital room where a child's scream could be heard. The happy smile that had occupied his face for the past hour was gone; a deep frown in its place. Though he couldn't help but feel mentioned smile wanting return as he looked down towards a small bundle in his arms; his baby boy, barley half an hour old.

Cradling his child, Minato murmured tenderly to him in a soothing voice. He watched with eyes filled with love as his new-born wailed from the comforts of his blanket. The way his small arms reached towards the only source of warmth, his father, made Minato's heart flutter. The baby's soft downy hair was a light, golden blond which – despite him being so freshly born – was starting to stick up in soft spikes around his head. His skin – like any baby – was so incredibly smooth to the touch his father couldn't help but caress him gently on his exposed arms and face. He had yet to see his son's eyes, though he knew they were the deep blue all new-born babies had. Minato couldn't help but feel his curiosity spike as he wondered whether they'd be like his cerulean pools or like his mother's cloudy grey.

Stopping his wailing to open his eyes and look up at the one holding him, the infant cried out a single angelic cry and the two locked eyes. He couldn't know who this person was, only that he felt safe and warm in his hold.

Minato, upon finally seeing his son's deep eyes, let his smile once more break out onto his features.

His son's cry wasn't like any baby's he'd ever heard. Most people complained that a baby's cry was almost banshee-like; a horrible noise that just constantly annoyed you. The exact opposite occurred with his little son's cry. It shook to the very depths of Minato's soul. It called out to him, like a deadly Siren song. It was heart-warming and it lifted him up out of the dark thoughts that threatened to break.

It wasn't that Minato didn't care (it was the exact opposite), but if he were to drift over to the bedside where his love's life had ended a little while ago he was sure the dam would break, and he needed to have focus for the next few hours.

The cause of her death was partially due to blood loss and the pain and stress of child birth. Only partially because she was injured coming into the hospital in labor from debris being flung around from the Kyūbi.

Keeping his focus on his son – which he and his wife Kushina had decided to name Naruto – kept his head clear, even when the shock that Kushina was really dead remained in his mind.

The child continued to look up at him with a happy and innocent expression; gurgling sounds making its way past his lips instead of the wailing Minato had been met with before.

"Hello little one," Minato began, "Can you recognize that I'm your father already?" He gently tickled his baby's face as he stroked it tenderly. The baby gurgled some more. "I can't even begin to tell you how adorable you are. It's hard to believe you're this small. Just look at your hands," his voice cracked a little as his face bordered on splitting in two due to the smile present. Naruto made a happy cry as Minato grasped his hand with a finger.

Minato let his son keep his finger in a tight grip as he stood up and began walking down the halls of the hospital. The only nurse present – as all the others were stationed elsewhere – didn't try to stop him as he continued talking to the baby while leaving the room.

They soon made their way out of the building, walking through the village to the sealing chamber in a nearby tower; originally erected as a means to shoot aerial weapons at enemies should they breach Konoha.

At the entrance he was met by the Sandaime who had a pained look on his face.

"Minato please, I know if we keep looking we'll find another way. There has to be one," the elder reasoned, already knowing it was futile.

"It's alright old man… just... promise me you'll look after Naruto," Minato said as he tenderly smiled at the infant in his arms. "I couldn't bare it if anything happened to him." He then raised Naruto so that the child was lying on his underarm, with his head and neck securely held by Minato's large hand.

"Besides, how could you resist someone so cute?" the father grinned.

Amused at the sight, the Sandaime merely shook his head and sighed sadly.

Together they climbed the steps up the tower until they reached the floor the chamber was on. The whole time as they were getting closer, the old Hokage noticed how Minato's cheerful attitude started to sober. He was still holding onto his smile, but it didn't reach his eyes anymore.

When they reached a set of huge oriental doors they saw Homura and Koharu, the two elders of the Council. They greeted one another before Minato opened the large doors, which gave off a resounding echo as if sensing the dark situation.

He glanced back at the Sandaime, as his advisors waited for him to continue on with the three of them waiting outside the room. With a half-smile, he closed the doors and was suddenly enclosed by flickering shadows emitted from a dozen candles around the room.

It had an eerie feel to it and he didn't like it at all.

Naruto whimpered slightly in his chest as if sensing Minato's discomfort. The first sound he'd made since the hospital, having been quite during the entire trip to the tower.

"Shh… little one, it's alright," Minato whispered to the infant as he rocked him slightly. "Daddy's here..."

He brought Naruto up to his face and placed him so that the small blond head was situated by his right collarbone. Embracing the small body with his arms, he rested his cheek on the tuft of hair that was so much like his own, and then he hugged his son with all his heart. The baby gurgled again as he clenched his fists, successfully capturing a little or Minato's Jōnin shirt. Minato smiled a bittersweet smile while letting a lone tear make its way down his cheek.

The infant snuggled into his neck while the Fourth rubbed his small back through the blanket. Getting positioned on one knee he removed the comforting hand and started preparing the seals on the floor. He spoke soft words of comfort to his son as the seal began taking shape around the center of the room. As it was finished, it left an open space directly in the middle of floor where a small basket was positioned.

Minato, done with the seal, had but one task left in order to defeat the fox.

Activate the seal, summon the Shinigami, seal the demon in his son, effectively saving the village and everyone in it… and destroying forever the chance at continuing a happy life with his baby as the father that he always wanted to be.

He choked back a sob.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this to _his son_.

The newborn already had no mother, and soon he'd have no father. It was not the way things were supposed to be.

He looked at the infant, who gazed back at him innocently and snuggled further into his shirt - oblivious to what was about to happen to him. Minato couldn't help but let a hollow laugh escape his lips.

"You know," he said and looked at the child, "babies are supposed to cry a lot. You haven't cried once since you came out of the hospital. You barely cried after coming out of the womb; which I think most would find rather shocking. Being all nice and warm, and suddenly thrown into a cold alien environment. A world of crime, fear, death, and destruction… yes, most babies would be royally _pissed _at that."

Minato didn't care that he used foul language around his new-born; he barely even noticed to be honest, the emotional turmoil clawing at his insides disrupting any reasonable thoughts and actions.

"So how come you're so happy huh?" Naruto was still looking at him and cocked his head to the side.

"God don't do that, it's too adorable," the father pleaded with a strain in his voice. "You know you're only making this even harder for me..."

Minato reached down to pet the infant's hair, which caused Naruto to gurgle in delight. It was an innocent, pure sound that only a baby could have and it warmed the father's heart.

"I wonder if this seal will hurt you," Minato thought, still half-smiling at his child. "I really hope that it doesn't. It would kill me to know that my last gift to you before leaving this world was a painful one."

He blinked and gently looked into the infants eyes.

"Naruto please, if you can all but understand this one thought out of all this nonsense I'm sputtering to you. Know that the thing I want to do the most right now is take you and run away. Run far, far away; where no demons, where no enemies can reach us. Where the only thing you'll have to worry about will be me and my overprotective nature. I want to protect you from everything and everyone so we can smile at the world in peace." Minato had let the tears fall uncontained as he spoke. "But, alas, I can't do that either. I love you with all my heart. Yes, you... little one," he said as he poked him gently on the head, eliciting a gurgle. Minato imagined it to be a laugh.

"You're the main reason I am staying. Because I want you to grow up in a place filled with excitement, wonder and safety. This place has much to offer you Naruto. As Hokage I can't ignore the fact that I love this village too, but that love is dwarfed by how I feel about you right now." He kissed Naruto on the forehead and walked over to the center of the seal.

He knew he was buying time, but hell if he was going to die without at least one father-son moment.

Naruto wiggled out of his hold a little but made sure he still held on to the man's shirt with a firm grip. He played with the fabric while the owner of the shirt just shook his head and smiled.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Naruto cried out in response.

The Fourth's heart just melted at that. Lying down on the floor where he had placed the center of the seal he was content to simply watch his son's antics for the moment.

Naruto cooed softly as he was placed in the basket and looked up at Minato with dark eyes.

Minato hoped they'd look like Kushina's. Having his hair and her eyes would make him resemble the both of them.

Not saying anything else, his father merely wrapped himself around his newborn and hummed quietly to them both. He nuzzled Naruto as his son curled into a ball near Minato's neck and quietly fell asleep. The father had fresh tears falling down his face, which eventually merged with the blanket Naruto was wrapped in.

He sighed heavily as he hugged his son close to him... one last time.

It took all of the willpower he had to sit up and pull away from Naruto. The baby only moved a little at his retreat.

Placing the infant more securely in the basket, Minato smiled sullenly and rubbed his hand along his son's soft stomach, where the seal was soon to place a raging demon within. The small stump of the umbilical cord would fall right in the center of it all.

Mourning quietly, he leaned down to kiss Naruto's delicate forehead and gently ruffle the newborn's silky blond hair.

Finished with his goodbyes, Minato finally stood up and walked back to the doors, each stride feeling like his legs weighed a million pounds. He opened them and saw that the three people were still there waiting, even though they now wore anxious expressions.

He looked out the window and saw why.

The Fox was nearly upon them; the demon's nine tails crushing the outskirts of the village walls.

It was now or never. He was about to close the doors behind him when a cry tore through the silent tower and his soul. He looked back into the candle-lit room to see his son's scrunched up face as small wails of discontentment left his lungs.

Minato's eyes were glued to him. He couldn't tear away. Naruto and his deep eyes held the father's gaze, as if looking through his very being, asking him why he was leaving him. Why he was abandoning him only to force an unholy demon into his body.

Tears started to leak from both of their eyes.

Another soft cry came from the child, followed by whimpers that made Minato want to sprint back as fast as possible and soothe his baby until all his bad feelings were left forgotten.

Homura coughed, interrupting the connection, and signaled to the window and the destruction outside.

"Hokage-sama we don't have time for this. If you are truly going through with this you need to act now.

Minato kept his focus on Naruto, even as the other senior, Koharu walked around him and continued closing the door.

The Fourth's eyes never left his son's. His baby cried out louder and reached his hands out of the basket for his daddy.

The Hokage just stood there frozen as the beam of light that was on his son's face was slowly being replaced by darkness as Koharu struggled to close the heavy door.

The last thing he saw was his son's red face as he was weeping his lungs sore. Confusion and fear present on his small features as the light was cut off and the door closed, leaving his baby alone in the dark, candle-lit room.

When the door closed, Minato couldn't handle it. He swiftly strode away from the doors, down the hall picking up speed. Once out of the corridor, he started sprinting down the many flights of stairs and never stopped until he got to the ground floor and rammed through the entrance into the cold October air.

There he braced himself on his knees on the darkened streets; illuminated only by the orange glow of the forest fires ahead. Calmed slightly by the cool air, he forced his emotions down; his form shaking slightly but not uttering a sound.

Why did this happen? Why was this happening?

The pleading, helpless look Naruto had given him before the doors were shut was etched into his mind. His baby was all alone now in that dark room probably scared out of his mind. He was nearing a complete mental breakdown when a hand gently grasped his shoulder.

"Minato… I... I'm so sorry. If there was a way we could switch places… but I'm not as young as I used to be and I don't know if I could—"

"Sandaime-sama please," Minato cut him off, his voice a steady mask; learned from years of diplomatic meetings and stringent training.

"You and I both know there's no other way to defeat a Bijū. Besides, you need to lead the civilians to safety. All our remaining forces are gone now."

He slowly took deep breathes to calm himself and tried to keep his thoughts on the scene to give him focus. Standing up he took another deep breathe and steeled his resolve.

"Pray that this works and isn't some ludicrous way of making the demon stronger, eh?" he joked.

Giving him one of his trademark smiles, the Fourth nodded to his predecessor and took off for the battlefield.

The Sandaime sadly looked into the distance where Minato was headed just as a wheezing Homura and Koharu finished climbing down all the steps and emerged from the building. Hearing the mighty demon's roar up ahead caused them all to shudder.

The Sandaime Hokage turned around as he and his advisors walked back to the Hokage tower further into the village; avoiding the chaotic evacuation route the villagers were taking.

* * *

Minato used his Hiraishin to gain speed and came upon the battle field from hell.

Countless shinobi had fallen as the great beast was littering the ground with their blood and bodies. Looking up into the face of the demon he couldn't help but tremble. Its scorching red fur flowed under the large muscles used to slash and kill all against him; a cruel – almost possessed – look was on its face. The Kyūbi's features looked tortured in a snarl of pure unadulterated anger.

_Kami… am I seriously going to seal that into Naruto? _Minato thought with a frown. He quickly ignored the feelings of guilt speeding towards him and did the required hand seals.

"_Kuchiyose no jutsu!"_ he cried out as he slammed his hand on the ground, seals making their way across the red dirt.

A huge cloud of smoke rose over the area and as the wind carried it away, it revealed the Yondaime on top of a toad larger than the giant fox's torso. The toad was rusty red in color, with a brighter red around his eyes and lips; over his left eye was a scar he'd received in the past. His large body was clad in a blue happi vest and he had a kiseru pipe placed in his mouth. He glared at the fox as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"**Mmm… Minato-san, I think we should skip formalities for now in face of such an imposing enemy," **he said and put his pipe away, instead letting his hand rest on the hilt of a dosu blade strapped by his hip.

"If you don't mind Gamabunta, I just need you to take me a little closer," Minato said from his kneeled position on top of the toad's head.

"**Hai."**

The great frog leaped high over the ninja below as they began cheering at the sight of their leader. Landing around a mile away, Minato began the seals for the jutsu. As the last one was formed he muttered; "..._Shiki Fūin!_"

But as the words left his mouth, an eerie silence descended upon the battle field.

The fox stopped its attack and looked straight at the young Hokage as if it could understand what he was doing. Minato felt a cold sweat as the Bijū stared him down. As he was looking into its eyes, Minato could have sworn a saw the Sharingan within them, swirling madly around.

_Is it under a Genjutsu?_ the blond Hokage wondered. _The only one capable of a feet like that is…_

His thoughts were interrupted as the Kyūbi, in all its fury, opened its jaws and gave a blood curling roar at the Yondaime. Then it charged.

Moving faster than any would have thought possible for its size; it was quickly closing the distance between them, crushing the forest below as it ran and trampling anything in its path.

"**Minato!"** he faintly heard Gamabunta shout from amidst the violence.

Not wasting any more time he looked around to see if the jutsu worked, and shivered as he saw the ghost like apparition of the Shinigami, floating behind him.

With its pure white coat that had rips and tears in it, you would think at first glance the being was some sort of fallen angel. Devilish horns stuck out of the wild white hair that reached a long way down its back. The body looked skeletal and emaciated from what he could see past its cloak with skin that was a deathly purple-gray. Black, razor like teeth held a dagger as its right hand lifted revealing prayer beads. On its hands were many seals he noted, but his observations were cut short when the Kami of Death began muttering in a distinctly foreign language.

A chill went through Minato's spine, but when he turned back to face the furious charging animal in front of him, he knew he'd made up his mind.

Time seemed to freeze down slowly as the Kyūbi came closer, only a couple hundred feet away.

"Hrnggg…" The Shinigami opened its hollow black eyes and looked at the Yondaime.

"**Mortal, you know the penalty for summoning me and my contract, do you not?"**

The Shinigami's voice broke through the sky like thunder; its voice sending an arctic cold down Minato's body.

"I do. Please hurry if you will." He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible." I offer my soul in exchange for sealing this demon inside the child I have chosen."

The Shinigami looked upon the human with vehemence. The Hokage's face showed little fear, only a steadfastness.

It growled slightly at the lack of terror being shown. However, looking into the human's future just out of curiosity, it grinned at the pain he could inflict upon him. Plus, it angered the kami that this mere mortal thought it could simply order him to do whatever he wanted.

Smiling murderously at the idea forming in its mind and deciding to play with fate for a while, he raised his right hand and shot it forward into the body of the seemingly frozen Kyūbi.

Minato watched in awe as the body of the fox rippled slightly as if it were made up of water. Then he jumped as the Shinigami spoke to him once more.

"**Human! Think not of this as an offer that you are worthy or noble. Souls given up so freely in sacrifice have no value in devouring. They are too pure," **the God stated, and Minato knew that what was awaiting him was not that of anything positive. **"My decisions are my own. I, and no one else, choose who lives and who dies. **_**Never **_**forget that you are forever in my debt and should you ever call upon me again, I may just change my mind."**

And with that, time started to play again, but the noise of the battle ceased as the demon's shriek tore through the land like a scar.

Only Minato could see the hand dragging it back, but the shinobi present saw the demon's howl of rage as its body morphed and collapsed on itself into a huge condensed cloud of blood red chakra. Then, just as suddenly, it was swept off into the direction of the northern tower in the village.

As the cloud circled around the tower in a red and black haze, the demon's roars could still be heard and the nine chakra swirling tails still seen. Lightning flashed in random strikes along the deadly cloud. The fury and killer intent was felt by all as the fox roared into the night, and was followed by the cloud being sucked into the open window of the tower in a funnel. The cloud grew smaller and smaller as the shrieks echoed of the mountains.

Then as all thought it was nearly over, one of the chakra tails flew out of the cloud and whipped around; crushing buildings and spreading fire where it touched the earth. As it too was being sucked inside the window, the tail whipped around again and collided with the tower's base, rocking the structure and causing massive stones to shoot out of it and collide with houses below.

Citizens could be heard screaming and shouts were given but then it was all over as the red haze disappeared into the tower completely. With a blinding flash of light, lasting but a second, the Kyūbi was gone.

* * *

Storm clouds grew heavy and dark in the sky. Regardless of it being night, the land grew even darker. A deluge started to fall over the village, effectively putting out the forest fires which caused black smoke to rise from the scorched earth. The rain which seemed to calm the terror stricken region quickly silenced the screams and shouts as people recognized that the attack was over.

A flash of lightning overhead illuminated the land for only a moment before giving off a soft, rumbling thunder that seemed to calm the people even more.

Minato looked up at the sky as the rain washed away his tears. His time was limited now. He didn't have a clue as to what the Shinigami was going on about, but he figured his soul was about to be extracted soon anyway.

Gamabunta – his job complete – released the jutsu, sending the tired Hokage plummeting to the earth. A pair of ANBU quickly caught him mid-air and laid him gently on the ground.

His breathing became shallower, creating fog where he exhaled due to the cold. The sealing jutsu he had just done required almost all of his chakra to initiate and now that it was done, he was reaping the consequences of it.

His body hurt like hell, and the numbing rain and cold were giving off narcotic effects. He felt his mind drifting away to unconsciousness and knew what was coming.

Minato turned his head to the tower in the distance as silent tears made their way down his face.

_Naruto… _The young blond's thoughts, finally able to relax, drifted back to his hearts last joy.

He wouldn't be there for him. He wouldn't be able to hear his first words, take his first steps, to be able to comfort him when he was scared, or to simply love him with all his soul when they were together.

None of it.

The tears fell unstopped onto the ground.

_Naruto… my boy… _

Darkness began surrounding the corners of his vision and he faintly heard the siren's going off within the village. The fires within the walls of the city had yet to be put out.

…_my love…_

He saw the group of medic-nins rushing through the carnage to get to him.

…_my son… _

His vision blurred then, and darkness took hold of him completely.

…_forgive me_.

* * *

He heard voices first. The sound was fuzzy and somewhat muffled but he could still distinguish that there were people around him, and there was a faint beep of a heart monitor coming from the left.

_Where am I? _he thought and tried to move, but his body was still stiff from chakra exhaustion. He then noticed that he was wrapped in something warm. _A blanket? This can't be the Shinigami's stomach… it's too_..._?_

He actually didn't know what to expect in the realm of the Shinigami, but this certainly wasn't it.

It was then that he noticed he was on a bed.

Minato forced his eyes to open slightly and looked up, noticing he was looking at the ceiling of the hospital. The lights were cut off from the power plant but there were lanterns and candles emitting enough glow to keep it from being disorienting.

He was alive? The seal had worked and yet he was still alive? Nothing made any sense.

_Wasn't this supposed to be a self-sacrificing jutsu? Not that I want to die... _Then the words of the Shinigami came back to him and he was struck with an epiphany. _I must be the luckiest bastard to ever grace this land. Ridiculous. _His heart was hammering slightly against his chest from the whole nerve-wracking ordeal.

"Minato!" he heard from a far distance, and he recognized the voice of his sensei.

"Tsunade he's awake!"

There was shuffling around him as his vision tried to clear and adjust to the brightening of light all of a sudden. He turned his head slightly to the right and saw his sensei, Jiraiya, hanging over him with a shocked face. Tsunade was on his left checking his vitals. As his eyes finally adjusted, he noticed the Sandaime, along with Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and a group of ANBU all near the foot of the bed. Their expressions were a mix of worry, happiness, and shock.

"Sensei you're alright!" he heard Rin's distinctly exasperated tone. "Do you have any idea how worried you had everyone? We thought you went and _killed_ yourself!"

"Yeah! When you took that fall off the toad boss, everyone started freakin' out. We thought there was gonna be a mass riot or somethin'. The villagers were panickin', and then when the northern tower collapsed it just sent people into more hysteria… OW! Rin _what the hell_?" Obito cried as he clutched his head.

"Baka!"

"Well I thought he'd like to know… people don't like being kept in the dark!"

"Retard, if you would just _think_ before you opened your fat mouth!"

Kakashi winced as he heard the information slip, but the other occupants were more concerned with their Hokage to notice.

The two's bickering went unheard through the young blond's ears though. He couldn't have heard them correctly. He tried to block the cold that started to seep through his core.

_The northern tower collapsed…?_

"Naruto..." he mumbled under his breath as his eyes started to widen and he stopped breathing. His son, his son was in the northern tower. His _son_.

That silenced Rin and Obito almost immediately. The others only stood stock still.

Jiraiya put a hand on his student's shoulder as Minato tried to sit up in the bed. They couldn't see his eyes for he had closed them but his expression was one of hope as well as disbelief. His son hadn't been _in_ the tower as it collapsed, had he?

"Where's Naruto?" he asked and turned to look at Tsunade who couldn't keep his gaze. "Where is he?" the pleading in his voice didn't go unrecognized. He looked at the faces of the people in the room. No one was answering. _Why won't they answer me?_

He tried desperately to subdue the growing panic filling his being. Raising his voice slightly he asked again.

"Please, I just want to see him… " His body was shaking and he tried so hard to quiet the nagging in his mind of what Obito had said. "I need to see him. Where _is_ he? Where's my _**son**_?" he was practically shouting now.

They still wouldn't answer.

"Please…" the tears started to fall again.

"Minato…" Tsunade herself was openly crying at this point. "He…" She was struggling with the words. Jiraiya, meanwhile, had pulled up a chair and was trying to calm his student down.

"Kiddo, it's going to be alright, but please keep still." He sighed. "Keep a hopeful mind, alright." He gently embraced him with one arm to steady the young Hokage.

Then the Sandaime approached him, and one look at his face had Minato knowing he didn't want to hear this.

"Minato… my friend," he paused, trying to search for the words. Pain etched on his face. "The tower your son was being held in collapsed shortly after the sealing. It had been impacted by one of the fox's tails." Noticing the young blond's facial features, the Sandaime was quick to continue. "But please, don't jump to conclusions yet Minato, there's still hope."

He noticed Minato paled considerably and that his hands were shaking. Jiraiya was still holding onto him with a worried look.

"I have sent every remaining ninja we have out searching through the debris and throughout the entire village. We will find him Minato, I promise you."

However, the strength in his voice wavered when he saw the heartbreak in his successor's eyes. Sarutobi had never seen the man look so utterly defeated and broken. Minato clenched the bed sheets with a hollow expression as his eyes watered.

"Please, Hiruzen…" he mumbled. The Fourth couldn't take the throbbing of his heart. "I just want my son."

His shakes didn't stop as Jiraiya and Tsunade continued to comfort him. His team looked at the scene with broken hearts. They had seen their sensei throughout Kushina's pregnancy as one of the happiest people in the world, always smiling and showing off her growing bump. They knew how much he had wanted to be a father; how much both parents loved their child, before he was even born. This wasn't fair in the slightest.

Kakashi walked closer to the bed and leaned against it as he put a hand on his sensei's arm. Obito and Rin came over to Tsunade's side and stood next to the bed as well.

Tsunade shook her head to try and clear it of the painful thoughts as she prepared a sedative for the Hokage.

"You need your rest Minato; this will help you fall asleep. We'll all help to find Naruto, just have good faith." She administered the drug on his arm and soon enough he was feeling the effects.

Sarutobi silently exited the room to check up on the search. The whole thing was too much for him to even think about.

In the hospital's corridors an ANBU came to report through the window.

"Anything...?" the retired Hokage pleaded.

The ANBU's gaze went to the door that held Minato and his head drooped a little.

"Nothing, Sandaime-sama... we've looked everywhere. People are still being rescued from collapsed buildings but we haven't seen any sign of the baby."

The former Hokage sighed deeply. "Well keep looking. I don't want this search called off until you find him."

"Hai, Sandaime-sama!" And with a salute he disappeared back into the night.

_This can't happen, not when we miraculously still have our Yondaime alive_. _This can't happen to him_. The aged old ninja drifted off into the village, questioning search parties and civilians alike. He couldn't fail Minato. Not when the man had saved the entire populous from shear destruction.

* * *

Out in the pre-November chilled night, the riots in the streets had people in a panic. Even though the fox was gone, the terror it had caused was still looming over the village. Looters were robbing the empty stores and some even caused small fires by igniting houses and throwing molotov bombs onto the streets. Embers were gently gliding up into the sky.

Out of one of the many alleyways in Konoha, emerged a figure. The man was middle aged and had greasy brown hair that was matted slightly.

He wore a black, very loose raggedy shirt that came down on a v-neck, exposing his extremely skinny chest and collar bones. However skinny he may have been, you could still make out a slight beer belly, sticking out at the bottom of his shirt. The trousers he wore were somewhat tight around his legs and had many holes ripped through them. Many tattoos adorned his slightly tan and dirty skin, and over his shirt was a large, black overcoat that reached down to his knees.

All-inclusive, he looked homeless and was extremely filthy. The man's expression was an ugly murderous one as he silently stalked through the streets; pick-pocketing anything he could find of value.

With a cigarette in his mouth he silently blew out plumes of smoke.

As he reached a more destroyed section of the village, he stopped to admire the shattered buildings. With a trained eye, he searched the debris for valuables he could take with him. It was a tiring process, but it was his way of making it through the day.

As he'd collected a few items, he turned around and was about to leave. That was when he heard a whimper resounding from amongst the clutter.

He narrowed his eyes as he followed the noise until he spotted something he never would have thought to see. Surrounded by massive slabs of concrete and brick, but nestled within a bubble of sorts was a tiny baby. It was crying softly as a red aura seemed to shield it from harm.

"Hehe… well look at my luck; you gonna make a fine lil' addition to the family." He chuckled darkly. "Name's Blight lil' one, how 'bout yah?"

Picking the child up unceremoniously, and held him at arms-length as the red aura around the baby seemed to growl at the man. It then dissipated back into the child's body as if it were never there. The child's head – neck not strong enough to support itself just yet – swayed from side to side, but the man had no care in the world.

"Hmm… you a curious one, ain't ya…" he spit on the ground as he turned the child over inspecting him.

"Yeah… I could fetch a lo' of money from you. There ain't many blond heads 'round these areas. Eh? Wait a min…"

He looked closer at the baby's face.

Naruto struggled from his hold. He didn't like this man at all. The smell hurt his nose and the aura around the man was adulterated. It didn't help that the smoke from the cigarette was burning his lungs.

He wanted that man from before, with the wild golden hair and the smile that was so gentle. The infant didn't know who he was, only that his presence was so comforting. He began to cry; wanting that safety again.

"Shut it brat… lemme see yeh face." He proceeded to smack the child on the head.

More tears fell from Naruto's eyes but he quieted to a mere whimper.

"Hmm… blond spiky hair, whiskers… it can't be? Do ya know how many damn people have asked me fer someone of you're description tonit' lil' one?" he glared at the child.

"It was annoying the hell outta me. You…" the glare was replaced with a mischievous smile. Blight grinned scarily as he considered the infant. "Yer the son of the Yondaime! With you I could make a fortune once yah grow up 'nough!" he tucked the child within the reaches of his huge coat and continued walking back towards the alley.

He was about to make the final turn onto the street, when a group of ANBU blocked his path. Growling, Blight shoved the infant further into the coat so he was hidden within a pocket. Raising his hands in surrender, he acted confused.

"Now, now gentlemen, what can I do for yeh this fine evenin'?" he smiled

The ANBU regarded him with strange looks.

"There's nothing _fine_ about it, sir," Falcon replied. "We were wondering if by any chance you—"

"…stumbled across a blond newborn recently, yeah, yeah, I _know_! God yeh people are like a broken record," he growled low.

The ANBU glared back at him through the holes in their masks.

"Well? _Have_ you?" Rat impatiently asked.

"This is probably the hundredth time someone has asked me that and fer the life of me…"

Blight paused... considering telling the truth, if maybe a reward was to be offered. The son of a village's Kage was nothing to be taken lightly. But then again, he could fetch a far greater sum of money if the right clients came looking at his… shop.

"I haven't," he replied; inwardly chuckling at their exasperated sighs.

"Sorry boys but I'm off to bed. Such an excitin' day it was."

"Well, thank you for your cooperation, sir. We hope you haven't been hit too badly by the attack."

Blight laughed. _Oh no, I think it was one of the better things that have happened to me recently_. "Can't say I have."

Then his heart stopped as the baby gave a soft muffled cry into his back. _Shit! If they discover I have it…!_

But just then a group of rioters had smashed a molotov against a building - igniting the wall with flames.

The ANBU swiftly left him to subdue the angry mob.

Not taking any chances, Blight quickly took off and ran for the end of the alley. There, he turned a corner and ducked under some hidden stairs, shielded from view by a tattered and ripped cloth hanging overhead. Sweating heavily he proceeded to rest for a minute as he brought the infant out.

The baby cried as it emerged.

Angered, Blight quickly covered it's mouth.

"Quite yeh! Ya nearly got me _busted_!" The cries stopped at once from the lack of oxygen. The baby began squirming his arms to try and get free, and eventually, Blight released his mouth.

The man then held his body far away to observe him critically.

Crying softly, Naruto looked up into Blight's eyes. There was no love like there had been in the man before; only pure hate and loathing. The baby started shaking.

"What? Are yeh cold? Heh… get used to it lil' one 'cause where were goin', there's hardly any warmth." He sat up and continued his trek down the stairs. "I can't afford a heater, but once I get ya to the market, I'll be fuckin' rich, so I can deal with it fer now!"

Blight walked even further down into the hidden sections of pathways that the alleys offered. Stopping at a supposed dead end, he swiftly began dismantling a couple of bricks on the wall in what looked like a random sequence.

The code that he had just prompted was a hidden gate that activated when correctly signaled. A group of renegade ninjas had taken up the job as gatekeepers for the place, making sure no outsiders came within.

Two of them greeted the man once the gate's henge fully dissipated.

"Boys," came Blight's reply as he flicked his cigarette ash onto the empty path behind him. Walking past the grotesque guards he began to head down a moldy, slime filled tunnel.

"Yep, I'm sure you're gonna love it here lil' demon," he said looking down at the baby. "Not many outsiders get a glimpse of where the real crime center of Konoha is. Livin' down here fer a little while will break ya and make ya made of tougher stuff then the people up above. When most people come to Konoha, they are only aware of the village itself, with its different sections: the aristocratic quarters, commoner's quarters, as well as the market streets and shoppin' districts. Most have never even heard of one of the cities darker secrets."

Naruto couldn't understand anything of what he was saying, but Blight didn't care.

"Yamishakai is wha' most call it; a series of underground tunnels and caverns hidden beneath the village itself. It's a section devoted solely to the black market; illegal goods rangin' from drugs and alcohol to organs and fur tradin'. The trade was established long ago and now has secret routes to and from various villages across the shinobi nations."

Blight snorted.

"Many military police sought to discover the secrets of Yami, but failed to find even an openin' leading into its dark depths. The location has been kept secret since the time of the Shodai. After a while, with no sufficient proof, the investigators for the area were called off and over time, most simply ignored the myth of the secret city and the crimes it was committin' were left forgotten…" the man trailed off.

Blight carried Naruto down the tunnel and into an opening where an underground river ran alongside. Walking down the path, he ducked under some mildew stained tarps that were flapping in the wind, caused from the rushing waters. The mist from the river left them both a little wet.

Naruto was shivering from the cold. He tried to burrow into the jacket, but the man pulled him out and cradled him against his chest; effectively exposing his naked body to the chill.

It hurt! He wanted to cry but every time he made a slightly loud whimper, Blight would hit him on the arm. The cold was painful and silent tears made their way down the child's face. He was about to start crying again when they emerged from the tunnel and came upon a wondrous view.

"Heh, welcome to me home kid," Blight muttered. He took one last drag from his cigarette before throwing it on the ground; stomping on the butt.

Naruto looked around in wonder. Hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites were scattered throughout the cavern. The cave itself wasn't very tall but it was wide. But the main attraction was in the center were numerous lantern displays glowed brilliantly in the dark, hanging from various shops of all kinds. The area was filled with different colors of light, fabric and incense. Dozens of Bazaars and foreign looking markets littered the ground.

…and the people.

People of all shapes, sizes were roaming about. Many had exotic looking styles and strange clothes. Guards and shabby ex-ninja were scattered throughout the small district as well, but they were still vastly outnumbered by the amount of people browsing around. There were so many new sights and smells for him to encounter.

His fun was cut short though when Blight stuffed him into a large pocket again. The man quickly maneuvered his way expertly around the busy shops and people. Walking through to the end of the grotto where a series of tunnels began, he turned to the left.

Blight's home was on the market outskirts and was a rundown 'orphanage', as he liked to call it. There he kept and held around half a dozen or so children, ready to be bought and sold as slaves when the next caravan for Suna arrived. Helping him was a whole staff of guards that he was able to hire with the help of his lofty prices.

There were many boxes in the front of the shop as well as various overhanging tarps, billowing softly in the light breeze. A single lantern illuminated Blight's way through the entrance.

"Miya, Shiro!" he bellowed.

The two young and worn looking teenagers he addressed scrambled to the front of the shop.

"Welcome home, Master," the girl, Miya, muttered as the two emerged from one of the rooms. Filthy ragged clothes were the only things that dressed the two teens – whom couldn't be older than thirteen or fourteen.

The two were on their knees in a bow and dared not to look up into Blight's face. He glared at the two for a moment.

"Here, I caught somethin' for ya to take care of. I'm not interested in the whole raisin' a baby thing." He took out the little infant and tossed him to the two teens.

Miya yelped at his actions but before the baby reached the ground Shiro caught him.

"S-Sir, where… where did you _find_ him?" the girl asked.

"Durin' the demon attack, a buildin' collapsed 'round him I guess. In the chaos no one noticed, hell… or even _cared_, that I stole him." He walked over to a nearby table with some stale bread and tore into it. Gulping down some wine to wash it down, he continued.

"Look closely at him and see if yah find anythin' familiar."

He grinned evilly as he noticed the confusion on the two teens faces. "He's the son of the Yondaime Hokage, and I plucked him right from the shadows of his very own village."

With the gasps of the two teens he began to laugh a disgusting hearty laugh.

"You _stole_ the son of the… but, but… that's_ insane_! Sir if I may, I've already heard from the street vendors that they have ninja everywhere searching for him!" Shiro began to question.

Quick as lightning, Blight bent down and snatched the two up by their collars. Raising them up off the ground slightly, he brought them closer to his face, and the two shuddered as he glared at them murderously.

"Don't either of yah breathe a word of this to another soul, _ya got that?_" he barked. The two winced and nodded. "Good… besides, none have been able to find any entrances down here so we'll be safe from the surface; in a couple years he'll be suitable for manual work and will fetch me a hefty sum of money. Just think of how much an enemy of the Fourth would pay to get their hands on his son…" he chuckled at the thought.

"Now go back to you cells, I'm charging the two of yeh to be responsible for him. Now, _not another word_!"

He kicked Miya in the ribs harshly, not enough to throw her, but enough to startle and scare her and Shiro off into the back of the shop.

The two quickly raced back, and went through a curtain that hung in front of a large hole in the wall. Stepping through the hole, they came into a room that was backed up against the side of the cavern walls. It was fairly large. Rocks jutted out in random spaces and mist came through a gap in the ceiling - making it extremely cold and damp. Water dripped from low hanging rocks and on the floor but what really set the room off were the twenty-or-so prison-like cells, lined up along the wall. It looked like a rundown kennel, except instead of dogs, around seven children resided, each in their own single cell rooms.

There were more empty cages than filled ones, due to the recent purchase of their inhabitants to slave drivers.

Miya and Shiro walked over to the cell that they shared and lied down on the double bed that was in it. Miya took the child and cradled him in her arms. The baby hadn't stopped crying, but it was only softly making a noise.

"Hey there, it's alright," the girl began rocking the baby, not really knowing what to do.

"You're probably hungry aren't you? Poor thing. I'm sorry but there's no food for you yet, you'll have to wait until Blight-sama returns from the market tomorrow."

The baby stopped crying and looked up at Miya. Her green eyes weren't the same as the calming blue ones he felt before, but anything was better than that man's heartless gaze. He was hungry, starving in reality. He cried out a little hoping he wouldn't get hit for it, but he was so hungry.

Upon hearing his cry, the two teenagers felt their heartstrings tug. This baby's cry was so pure. It also quieted the other children within the room.

"I'm sorry we can't feed you… well wait… Miya?" Shiro turned to look at the girl with a questioning gaze.

"What are _you_ looking at?" she glared slightly at his train of thought.

"You're a girl right… and girls can feed babies… so _OW_! Sheesh! It was only a _thought_!" he protested at being hit in the stomach.

"Do you honestly think I'm old enough for that? Plus, females can't simply summon milk on a whim...I think..."

"What should we do then? Just have him wait… he barely looks a day old Miya."

"We should name him," she said and smiled, looking at the baby fondly.

_Way to change the subject,_ Shiro thought. "Well, if he's the son of the Yondaime, word has gotten down here that he already has a name. People have been searching for a baby with his features for hours, or so I've heard…"

Looking at the baby she smiled brightly as she rubbed his cheeks with the cute whisker marks. Looking into his eyes she almost lost herself in them. They were still dark, as most babies – she knew that much – but she was sure they'd be blue when he grew up, or at least grey.

A deep blue engulfed her as she looked on into his face. They were like the deep abyss of the oceans and clear like the heavenly skies. But still, the more she looked she saw twinkles of many blue shades glittering in those eyes. _Like rain fall,_ she mused. _Rain..._

"Ame," she whispered to him. The child closed his eyes, releasing her from her trans-like state. "Ame," she repeated, and he snuggled deep within the thin blankets of the bed; the bitter cold reaching down into him.

"Ame… I like that. You know, he really doesn't deserve a life like this. It's not fair to him… the Hokage's son." Shiro looked at the infant warmly.

The two got under the covers and tried to share what little body heat they had for the baby.

"Little Ame… I hope he survives it down here," Shiro wondered out loud. And soon the three had fallen asleep, along with the rest of the trapped orphans.

* * *

Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned into a month. And by the time that month had rolled by, Sarutobi finally called off the search for the baby.

Minato hadn't spoken much to anyone since he woke up. He stopped eating and for a while it would have stayed that way had Tsunade not threatened him with force feeding.

The broken father returned to his office as Hokage after the search was cancelled, but everyone noticed the change in him. The smile he usually carried everyday was reduced to a grim shadow of what it once was. His eyes no longer sparkled like they used to.

He carried on with leading the village through their hardships, but none could ignore that out of the whole attack… he was one of the few who had lost more than any other. It was in times like these that he dearly missed Kushina, for out of everyone, only she could put the smile back on his face in times of depression. But he had lost her as well.

As time went by, he gradually began to smile and laugh again, but the pain remained locked within his heart. He had lost his only son and wife, all in one night.

* * *

A.N. This idea came to me a long time ago...it just took me awhile to actually sit down and write it. I apologize for the length, but it was needed to build the backbone for the story's setting. And yes i changed some minor details around...such as Obito and Rin, alive and kicking...not that Rin is dead, but I have yet to hear of her as a living breathing person.

I am a hopeless Yondy fan and i love stories that have him and Naruto interacting with each other...so you can expect more of that later on, as the story essentially is about the two of them.

Also, if you were wondering:

** Ame** means "rain" in Japanese and is pronounced (Ah-meh) like in Amegekaru...the village hidden in the rain ect...

**Yamishakai** means "society of darkness" or "underground world". The nickname for it, Yami, means darkness, the dark, or black-marketeer.

**Blight**...although definitely not Japanese, is only a nickname for the man. You'll discover his real name much later. I got the idea from the game Okami, and for those who don't know, the word Blight has a lot of meanings. The most common form I found was, "something that impairs growth, withers hopes and ambitions, or impedes progress and prosperity", which I thought was very appropriate for the slaver. ^^

So, here it is...i hope you enjoy.

**Edit:** This chapter, as well as chapters 2-6, are being re-submitted due to the amazing editing of my new Beta, MrsHellman. Those who read it before will notice some subtle (but significant) changes, such as the name of the Underground market being changed to Yamishakai, plus other various dialogue changes and grammatical fixes.


	2. A Cunning Adventurer

**Shadow of Rain**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

A small blonde head poked its way through the rocks. Silently as a cat he crawled and squirmed through the small opening of his home and gracefully, landed near the tunnel way sneaking past the guards.

If there was one thing Ame was good at, it was the art of escape.

The small boy now four years old had light, golden blonde spiky hair that contrasted immensely with his crystalline blue eyes. His skin was a smooth golden tan, regardless of being kept in the dark for most of his life.

However, the boy's body was extremely undernourished. Fed only scraps and whatever he could find on his nightly escapes only served to keep him alive. He also had dirt smears on his body, from crawling around on the rocks so much.

Any baby fat he should have had was long gone, showing a smooth, very thin face. His complexion even for being so thin only showed his adorable and striking features more prominently.

He was tall for his age too; his long lean legs making him the tallest out of his age group in the Underground and serving him a fast getaway should he ever get caught. Though he still only came up to an average adult's knee.

He wore brown shorts that went down to his calves before the hem was torn slightly, and a black shirt that looked to be rather big on him.

However, the baggy clothes were a necessity, according to Blight, for they covered up most of the boy's bruised and somewhat broken body. Whip slashes tore through his back as he got them more frequently as punishment for running away so often.

Whenever the child moved it would cause him pain in various parts of his body.

But today was going to be different.

He had escaped the so called "Orphanage" earlier than usual.

Ame could tell the sky was just about to break dawn on the surface, for there were some cracks in the ceiling, revealing a small glimpse of the outside world. Too small for people to notice up above, however.

Ame's destination today was exactly that place. He frequently took illegal trips to the surface. They were illegal for he was technically a slave now, and slaves were forbidden from setting foot outside of the main cavern in the Market. By now though, the young boy had figured out every one of the cave's openings that reached up to Konoha.

He never even had to go near the main gates.

Ame climbed up the wall, using jutting out rocks as grab-holds, and staying hidden in the shadows. Whenever a figure would stroll by he would simply freeze his entire body until said person was gone. Scaling through the rock face he squeezed his body into the small opening that would lead to an entrance somewhere near a shopping district in the village.

Just as he thought he had made the clear, he heard the shout of his master down below. Ame scrambled up and out of the hole onto the cool misty ground outside.

He had made it yet again!

Sunrise had just begun as the sky was still a hazy, lavender blue. Not waiting for Blight to catch up to him, Ame took off down the street, inhaling the cool morning air. _What I would give to actually live up here_.

The child stopped near a cold, clear pond to get a drink and rested against the trunk of a willow tree. The cooling breeze felt so good against the sweat on his forehead and neck.

Looking up into the sky, he saw a flock of migratory birds heading off into the distance. It was late summer, and fall would be upon the fire country in a couple of months.

Suddenly he heard a twig snap and instinctively, the boy jumped into the long, saw grass lining the water. Dread flew through his body as he silently prayed he hadn't been caught yet.

Much to his relief, a stray dog walked into the clearing to lap at the water's surface. Sighing heavily, Ame walked back out to join him. The mutt sniffed at the boy for a moment before allowing him to pet his fur.

Taking one last glance at the morning sky, Ame started heading towards the village. Running in the shadows, he expertly stalked through the streets as more people began emerging from their homes. Staying hidden, he decided to sit under an abandoned vendor bar to people-watch.

Ame had every right to be cautious. His whole life, he had learned not to trust adults. They were forceful with you and didn't care whether you lived or died. At least those were the only adults he knew of.

He smiled fondly at the memory of his caretakers though. Now nearing their early twenties, Miya and Shiro had cared for him enough so that he didn't end up becoming an illiterate, wild child.

He knew the basics of language and had a pretty wide vocabulary for being a four year old (though he rarely talked because of the amount of trouble his mouth got him in).

Ame could even use numbers thanks to their teaching, but his real expertise came in the child's almost daily testing on stealth.

Whether it was to avoid Blight, for fear of beatings when he was drunk, or from the rugged gangs that infested the Underground, just waiting for an unfortunate soul to be caught; sometimes in extreme cases, even raped.

Now through his experiences, the boy could easily and efficiently break out of his prison cells like it was child's play and run away from the center of his nightmares.

The only problem in this was, ironically, Blight… his master. A cold fury enveloped Ame as he thought of his warden. Running away from the man alone was a cinch. He was too out of shape and sickly to keep up with Ame's endurance. His smoking and alcoholism probably didn't help either.

Too make up for that weakness, his keeper had a group of retired ninja who could.

That was another reason to stick to the shadows. Being trained in the ninja arts allowed the renegades to always find Ame. No matter how far he ran or how thoroughly he concealed himself….

Trying to erase bad memories from popping up, Ame tried to focus on his surroundings more. It didn't take long. The aroma of the most delicious thing he had ever scented distracted him from his thoughts.

Dashing from his hiding spot, he quickly tried to locate where the smell was coming from.

He stopped at an intersection in the streets, and saw a steaming bowl being placed in front of a customer at some restaurant. The luscious scent caused his mouth to water and his stomach to growl unbearably.

It painfully reminded the youngster how long it had been since he had eaten anything.

"Ichi…raku…Ichiraku, ra…men." His stomach gave a loud grunt as he read the sign next to the stand.

"Oh shut up" he mumbled, punching his abdomen. "I bet it tastes like crap anyway."

As he forced his legs to walk away, he heard the customer give a moan of utter pleasure as he devoured the ramen. Shaking his head to clear it, Ame continued his trek through the village.

Coming to a break in the buildings, the boy glanced to his left and saw the huge mountain that served as a barrier to the city's southern border. Carved onto the rock side were the faces of four men.

_The hokage… I remember, Shiro told me once the tale of the greatest ninjas of the leaf. _Ame turned then and started walking closer to the huge monument.

_He always looked so funny at me when he spoke of the hokage. It's like he's afraid of them._ He growled then.

"As he should be. What kind of greatness is theirs if they can't even see what's been under their very feet this whole time?"

Ame carried a painful look as he walked back into the shadow of the buildings.

It was nearing noon, he noted as he looked up to the position of the sun. He would have to hurry and find a secure shelter before it got too late. Blight's men for some reason always found him the easiest when twilight came.

* * *

(The Hokage's Office):

Minato glared at the man before him with so much hate, the room looked about ready to ignite in flames from hell.

"H-h-here's another load of p-paper work hokage-sama…We have another cartful waiting outs-side."

The Chunin tried to look calm but it was hard when an all powerful kage was looking at you murderously with the intent to dismember all possible body parts.

"I'll just leave you to it then…" he quickly set the mound of papers on the fourth's desk before sprinting out the window and out of the danger zone.

"For the love of…I swear you old croon, I took the job of hokage as acknowledgement that I would be responsible for the lives of this village. That did **NOT** entitle me being a freaking office rat!" The young and respectable Yondaime then continued to bang his head on the desk for all it was worth.

Chuckling, the Sandaime puffed out a smoke ring from his pipe.

"All jobs have their secret taboos; it's just a matter of how well they're masked until the spot is filled with an unsuspecting employee." He closed his eyes in a smile. "And I'm afraid you can't just quit this one…_believe_ _me_, I've tried."

"**You**, the great and mighty 'Professor' quit. I don't believe it. I however would rather hang myself by a pig's intestine and choke on decayed old cow's milk than do paperwork for the rest of my god forsaken life."

"It's unfortunate that my descriptiveness can't be as…vivid… as yours then or I would do the same." The old man grimaced at the thought.

Minato got up from his desk and walked over to the balcony. The open window gave him the desired fresh air to wake him up from his half-asleep state. Looking over the village, he had an expression of melancholy adorned on his face.

"You know if you stay like that long enough, I'm pretty sure you'll match that head of yours carved in stone over there."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair.

"I think I'll take a little break old man, do you mind."

"We all need breaks once in a while Minato. Go ahead; I'll cover for you the rest of the day"

Minato smiled thankfully at his predecessor and walked out of the room and onto the outdoor stairway leading into the village.

_God a nap sounds __**sooo**__ good right now._

His white and red hokage's robe billowed softly as he walked through the streets.

He hadn't changed all that much in the last years. Still in his prime, Minato was one of the most powerful ninjas within the continent.

His hair was still the same spiky golden blonde as always. His smile, however forced it may have been, still gave people the impression of his cheerful nature. His eyes though, weren't as bright as they used to be.

A hole had remained in his heart from that night. A deep scar that it seemed would never fade. Nor would he let it. For if he let go of the pain, the fact that he had a son might disappear, and he couldn't let Naruto's existence fade into the memories of nothing. He just couldn't let that happen.

Walking past the playground near his home, like he did everyday, he caught glimpses of children around 3 or 4 playing, without a care in the world. He smiled warmly at the sight.

Then he saw a man, maybe in his thirties call out to his son. The boy in turn ran back from the slide and jumped into his father's arms. The love was so pure and present in the picture.

Minato's heart throbbed painfully and he turned away from the sight, heading home at a faster pace than before. Thoughts of what could have been were all ready streaming through his mind.

Turning onto his property, he opened the gates; signaling hello to the ANBU perched in the trees nearby. Hurrying up the path to the large house, he quickly went inside and shut the door.

Leaning against it, he slid down onto the floor and grasped his head.

The memories were far too fresh, still in his mind:

Walking out of the hospital in the dead of night, the muffled shouts he ignored, calling him back, and the area of shattered brick and broken concrete. Were a whole section of the city lay in ruin were the tower had fallen.

His hopes had ended there.

The debris was far too violent for a fragile newborn to survive. He knew in his heart then that his little boy was gone.

Breathing deeply, Minato shut off the images, and concentrated on getting to bed early.

He'd have to take the night shift in the office if Sarutobi was covering the day. Minato walked up the stairway into the master bedroom and flung his robe onto the chair.

Plopping onto the large mattress, the young hokage drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Ame was racing down the back alleys of Konoha as if his life depended on it.

Ironically, at the moment, it did.

He had made sure he didn't leave any tracks. He had circled the village several times, leaving a confusing trail, before settling into the empty den inside the roots of a large oak tree. He had backtracked, sidetracked, crisscrossed, and what not. He was careful to stay in the shadows and even covered himself in soot from a chimney to appear black as night, and yet they **STILL** found him.

_What the hell am I doing wrong? Is there some magical way of hiding oneself that I am conveniently forgetting?_

Blight's men, also hidden in black suits to hide from ANBU, were swiftly gaining on him. They had so rudely tried to throw him in a sack when Ame had fallen asleep in his supposed hideout.

The pain of an empty stomach didn't help his need to find an escape route, and fast.

However, the adrenaline rush was keeping him from tiring for at least a couple of hours. No one knew how he did it. It baffled Shiro to no end, for the nineteen year old liked to think of himself as some sort of emaciated macho man.

Ame's incredible endurance saved his neck countless times…and he was once again relying on it, for these new recruits of Blight's seemed much faster and smarter than the other ones.

Evading them down the streets of Konoha in the evening was nothing compared to the stark blackness of the Underground. Even with it's abundance in lanterns, the place still seemed like a sinister black hole at times, where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face.

Ame tried many times to lose them, but every time the child glanced behind him they were still there, hot on his trail.

Even with his outstanding endurance, Ame began to panic slightly. Stamina was basically shot to shit in the face of cool strategy, and the young boy hadn't nearly lived long enough to gain enough of that.

But, he did have another ace up his sleeve. Unpredictability.

He could take any situation that wasn't turning out in his favor and reverse things, using the environment around him to help.

Scanning ahead of him, he saw more people than usual. Most were headed home from their jobs, or just lounging about the streets, relaxing before taking part in the night life of the village.

_Bingo_. He grinned, and then shot off, even faster for the large crowd.

The ex-ninja behind him, even for being experts, were trying to comprehend the mystery of Blight's supposed fleet-foot Ame, the well known escape artist of the Underground.

For being a small, four year old, beaten and abused severely in the hands of the slave trader, he had escaped the caverns more times in the area's recorded history.

Slaves were meant to be locked away in prison cells, come the time they were sold for more useful jobs to occupy; they were **never** to break free, or what's worse, breach the surface.

Blight had been on the receiving end of some harsh punishments for going against the code of the black market. The more times Ame escaped, the larger a chance there was of someone from the outside, likely to find out about the secret grotto, hidden beneath the village's feet.

The self proclaimed, peace-keepers of the Underground, made sure Blight knew the seriousness of the situation.

Ame knew as well, and he had found out agonizingly.

Every time Blight had been punished for the boy's actions, he would drink himself in weight, and proceed to beat and reciprocate every single move the peace-keepers had made against the man ten-fold against Ame. Knocking the child unconscious several times.

Plus, for every time he ran away, Ame had to endure 15 whip slashes to the back.

It explained a lot why the child had scars on his body that looked like a lion had made him into a toy.

Maneuvering through the crowd was easy, for he was used to far larger ones back home in the markets.

Ame kept receiving odd looks from villagers for some reason, and then he giggled finding out why.

It wasn't everyday a black, soot-covered individual ran across your path leaving a trace of dust behind him.

Just as suddenly, Ame smacked himself on the head for his sudden burst of stupidity. _That's how come I haven't been able to lose them since they found me. I'm leaving a freaking trail of breadcrumbs behind me. _

He couldn't exactly stop to take a nice long bath and clean himself from the mess.

So he improvised.

Ame dove headfirst into the long, winding river that ran throughout Konoha. Opening his eyes underwater, he swam until he reached far enough away from the bank that he deemed suitable.

Holding his breathe tightly, to keep any bubbles from escaping, he held onto the edges of a large rock beneath the surface and waited.

He could see the water ripple slightly, where the ninja were standing on it, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out how they did that. He waited patiently as the ninja looked around in search of the area, before heading off, further south of the river.

Remaining underwater for a couple more minutes, he finally allowed himself to slowly, and carefully ascend. Breaking through the water's surface as gently as he could, Ame then began taking large but slow, lungfuls of air, as he tried to steady the dizzying effects the lack of oxygen had on his brain.

Clearing his head he began to rapidly swim north, following the natural flow of the river's current.

Just as the water began to get a little rougher up ahead, Ame cried out in excruciating pain as a kunai suddenly embedded itself in his shoulder blade. Flashing around he saw the three ninja before, gaining lost ground and quickly, running atop the white waters.

Ame tried to swim to the bank so that he could have a chance, but the water was too strong now for his small body to fight.

Growling to himself, the child dove again, giving up on a land escape, and used the current to jet propel him further ahead, under the water.

Surfacing once more he turned back to notice the ninja had backed off for some reason.

His child like innocence of the situation, made him think he had won and he shouted out in glee.

"What's wrong, ya bastards can't catch up to a small insignificant little kid?" he grinned at them.

It was then, that he heard a loud roaring noise and his heart nearly dropped down from his stomach when he turned around.

A waterfall was the cause of the renegade's retreat, and he could feel the downward pull the water was moving towards.

Not being a person who was frightened very easily due to his harsh upbringing, he smiled a fox like grin. The initial shock of the plunging river was the only thing that had startled him. For here, right before his very body was one of the most beneficial escape tactics he had ever seen.

Swimming freely with the current now, he moved even further away from Blight's men, who were watching, him horror-struck from the bank.

Right as he reached the bend in the fall, he saw one of the most scenic views of Konoha since he had first escaped there.

The sun was setting over in the distant forest, painting beautiful colors in the sky and on the clouds above.

Then, taking a deep breathe and feeling his body course with pure adrenaline, he jumped up out of the water and freefalled head first into the deep lake below.

With a burst of cold water, his body gracefully plunged down into the depths of the lagoon with out a single scratch, and he swam on into freedom.

* * *

Kakashi, the ever cool, platinum haired, masked, copy cat of Konoha, proceeded to kick his teammate into the freezing waters of the river they were resting near.

Exploding from the cold water like a bullet, Obito then began cursing every single insult he could come up with at his rival.

"You know you would be perfectly dry and content right now if you hadn't thrown my **Limited** edition of Icha Icha Paradise into the river right?" the masked man explained to him calmly.

"So what! I don't even know why you started reading that stuff anyway….it's so not-Kakashi like, at least not the one I know" Obito growled as he shook himself of excess water.

"What, I can't sit down every now and then to read a good book?"

"It's porn…."

"What does the genre matter if it's entertaining?"

The Uchiha gave a thoughtful look, but then nasty images of his silver haired teammate doing the things he had read briefly in the book filled his mind. Unable to stop the flood of sequences, Obito started screaming and pounding his head on a near by boulder.

Sweat dropping, Kakashi merely stared at his impaired teammate before his attention was distracted.

A splash in the water nearby, and the shouts of people far up over the cataract on the cliff had him sitting up to investigate.

And lo and behold, as he was looking at the waves where the splash had occurred, a child, no more than four years old, surfaced from the water with a huge smile on his face.

Looking back towards the waterfall, the boy laughed and swam towards the bank in the much calmer water.

Looking from the boy, to the waterfall where the shouts could still be heard, and then back to the boy, his mind pulled together a very unlikely scenario.

"Kid, did you seriously just jump off of a waterfall?"

Upon hearing the voice of an adult, the child froze. He was half way out of the water so Kakashi could get a better look at him.

He was small, very small, the jounin noted. Because the water was making the child's clothes stick to his body, Kakashi could see that he was severely underweight.

He guessed that the water had washed most of whatever was on him away, for the boy had black splotches randomly situated on his body as well.

His hair appeared to be black, whether it was naturally or from the substance covering him, he didn't know. But his most striking features were the luminous sapphire eyes, that caught magnificently in the fading light.

But he was more concerned when the child started backing away from him, scared.

"Hey, I won't get you in trouble…you don't have to worry, I'm just impressed is all."

"Who are you talking to? And you call me mentally retarded; at least I don't hear voices in my head…Oh!" Obito, with a heavily bruised forehead had just noticed the boy as well.

"Kakashi, what's wrong with you? He's only a child!"

Confused, the jounin looked at his teammate who had a troubled expression on his face.

"Did what?"

"Did what…pshh…he kind of has a kunai dug into his back, if you didn't notice, and I sure as hell don't sense any other ninja around here…so…that leaves you mister." He glared at his teammate in a joking fashion.

"You know I wouldn't do that Obito. Besides, it was probably those people shouting at him from up on the cliff. Hey kid, come here please, you don't look too well." The masked ninja tried to approach the child, who upon noticing this only further backed away.

"Hey little guy, we won't bite…much. At least let us take you to the hospital or something." His teammate suggested.

Both adults grew distressed when the child started shaking from the cold, with a look of absolute fear on his face, and the blood that started staining the ground at his feet.

Ame's heart had stopped the moment he heard the man's voice.

Blight's men couldn't have climbed down the cliff that fast, there was no way.

Then he took the time to notice this man wasn't from the group before.

He wore a green vest with multiple pouches in it along with a navy blue long sleeve shirt, and pants. A mask, the same color as the navy, covered half of the man's face and a weird shiny headband concealed his left eye.

The strangest hairstyle he had ever seen rose up from his silver hair and looked like a hurricane had blown through it.

Then he heard the voice of another person and looked around to see a man, around the same height as the other, join him.

He had on the same vest but was clothed in black material and had a strange fan shaped crest on his shoulder. The same headband adorned his face but was hung on his forehead instead, keeping the black spiky hair out of his eyes.

As Ame cautiously watched the two talking he tried to back away, but he knew that these two were no pushovers. Running away wouldn't get him very far from them, he guessed.

_Just great…I escape one set of ninja, only to get caught by another._

It was then that Ame noticed the dull throbbing near his shoulder.

He looked back and saw a lot of blood, streaming down his clothes where the kunai had only further impaled him from the force of the water.

He started shaking. Not from the blood, but from the bitter cold that started seeping into him.

The water had already been like ice, and as a steady wind had picked up, it wasn't helping his drenched body keep in the lost body heat.

His shivering, he noticed attracted the concerned attention of the two ninjas in front of him. As they started walking closer, his mind wouldn't let him just sit here and take being cornered.

He bolted suddenly, catching the two off guard and sped off into the forest. Running who knows where, he heard the shouts of the two men behind him.

They were following.

_Oh how fantastic._

He suddenly broke through the trees and found himself back on the outskirts of the village. Running blindly, he picked up speed and crisscrossed through the many streets and pathways. Looking behind him, he saw the two ninja were mere feet from catching him.

Yelping, Ame tried to go faster, but the cold was making his body numb.

Ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder, he turned a corner hoping to find a crowded street again, only to have his plans cut short as he rammed straight into someone who was in his path; knocking both of them on the ground.

Of course, being that Ame and the person had collided on a corner, meant that the ninja behind him didn't see.

So naturally, as they rounded the bend as well, both Obito and Kakashi tripped on the youngster, causing him to cry out as the kunai dug even deeper now, and piled up on top of the two.

Oh... the chaos.

to be continued...

* * *

A.N. One thing iv'e noticed in this chapter, that some people might pick up on, is Naruto/Ame's vocabulary which doesn't seem very 4 yearold(ish). I'll explain that here to save the confusion. Basically in this story, Naruto is already very intelligent from a small age. He's had to learn things the hard way, and in order to avoid certain situations that might end up bad, been forced to learn and adapt quickly to them.

His cursing comes from being aound Blight so much and the general thugs that live in the Underground.

- Oh, also..if you were wondering, Kakashi Gaiden **did** happen, but Obito survived. He still gave Kakashi his eye so now both of them each of one sharingan.

- Other than that, i hope you like the story so far. Enjoy.

...bet you'll never guess who he 'bumped' into. ;)


	3. Sanctuary in a Stranger

**Shadow of Rain**

Chapter 3

* * *

Cursing, Obito untangled himself from the pile-up, only to be pushed rather rudely out onto his back.

"Ow! Well for goodness sake, I'm sorry we tripped over you mister… but you could at least show some respect."

"_Respect_…You should be the ones giving me respect for training you ungrateful punks…which obviously didn't help at all.

"Oh,** sensei**!! How are you this fine evening?"

Grumbling, the Yondaime merely raised himself up, trying to restore some of his lost dignity, and causing Kakashi to land, rather callously on top of Obito.

Amused, it was then that he noticed the shaking child being crushed by their added weight.

"I swear you too are so troublesome sometimes, get **off** of him" he bent down to pick the two ninja up and threw them onto the sidewalk.

"Heh…you're starting to sound like a Nara, sensei." muttered Kakashi as a stood up and dusted himself off.

"I wouldn't be surprised." He retorted as he glared at the one-eyed Jounin.

Leaning on a knee, Minato picked the child up gently, who he then noticed was shaking from cold, and had blood smeared on his right side.

The child was still conscious, but just barely, for his eyes were closed shut and his face contorted in pain.

"What the hell did you two do this time?" the hokage asked angrily as he took off his white coat and blanketed the boy in it. Holding him up to his chest he stood up and looked questioningly at his two students.

"Hey, don't blame us; he was like that when we found him. Kunai and all." Obito objected.

"It's true, I found him near the lake on the North side of the river. Apparently he had jumped off of the waterfall there to, uh…I don't know, it looked like he was trying to escape someone, for there were shouts above the falls."

"He _jumped_ off of that 45 foot waterfall" Minato asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and he looked mighty proud about it too."

Concerned, the hokage shuffled the child to rest on his shoulder and looked at him.

The boy was extremely skinny. He noticed it when he had picked him up. He also had the remains of what looked like liquefied soot on his body.

His hair was black as well, but he noticed it was just the substance causing the color, which stuck easier to his wet hair.

Taking a hold of a corner of his coat, he gently began to clear away the smudges from the child's face.

No longer concealed, it revealed the tan, adorable features of the four year old. He also was able to distinguish three exotic looking whisker marks on each cheek. Rubbing his hair a little, he noticed it didn't clear away the soot entirely. It only made it appear a dirty brunette.

"Well then what were you doing; chasing the poor thing around and obviously scaring him half to death?"

Handling the child carefully, Minato smoothly applied pressure to the kunai in his shoulder blade. Whimpering slightly from the pain, the boy didn't struggle; he only leaned more into his hold.

With a swift and efficient tug, the hokage pulled the kunai out entirely and tossed it to Kakashi.

Catching the knife, the jounin pocketed it for further inspection. "We were only trying to catch him so that he wouldn't wreak more damage on himself."

"We need to get him somewhere warm, he looks hypothermic." Minato addressed.

"He's really kinda cute now that the dirt is off his face." Obito mused walking closer to his side.

"Where do you suggest going?" Kakashi prodded, looking troubled.

"I was already on my way to the hokage's office before this little get together, so we might as well go there. Tsunade is with the Sandaime right about now so she can fix him up."

As he finished the sentence, the child, who had yet to fully open his eyes to the stranger, squirmed around in the coat, and looked up at Minato.

The Yondaime's breathe caught in his throat as he beheld those radiant sapphire blues, gazing at him curiously. A sudden nostalgic feeling swept over him as he stared on at the boy's face.

The child looked confused at first, then alarmed as he realized he was being held by a total stranger. He struggled to get loose, but it only forced unnecessary movement on his wound, causing him to yelp.

Blinking out of his trance, the hokage secured the child in order to stop him from further injury.

"Hey, it's alright little one… were going to get you fixed up ok." Minato reassured him.

The child looked around and saw the two that had been chasing him before. Scared, he turned back to the one holding him. He couldn't exactly struggle in his weakened state. Plus, the warmth being so freely offered to him felt comforting.

Knowing that putting up a fight was futile for the moment, the four-year old wordlessly lay back down onto his shoulder, as the man began rubbing his back soothingly, trying to warm him up with friction.

"Can you tell us your name?" Minato asked him

The boy was about to tell the man, but every single instinct he had harnessed through his experiences told him not to. They screamed at him to run away, that no adult could be trusted. That if he complied he would only get hurt in the process.

Ame looked into the tender eyes of the man before him, and shook his head.

Concerned, Kakashi approached the child.

"You _do_ have a name, don't you?"

He didn't get an answer.

Minato tried a different question.

"Kid, where are your parents; or your guardians. You can't be out here by yourself."

The child only shook his head again. "I don't have any."

"You're all alone! Then who was chasing you back there by the falls?" Obito tried.

Ame started shaking again and tried to squirm his way out of the man's hold.

Leaning down, Minato set the child on his feet, but still had his arms locked around him.

"Its ok kid…no one is going to hurt you. We just want to help. You'll catch your death out here if you don't warm up soon."

"Th-thank you for all your help, but I n-need to be headed back soon. I'll get in trouble if I'm not back by dawn." The child stuttered from the cold.

His voice sounded worn from exhaustion and non use, and yet was filled with a sort of anguish and wisdom that neither of the adults could identify. It was strong and yet so pure, a combination that a child shouldn't possess.

Then with a sudden poise and energy from who knows where, Ame was on his feet, perfectly balanced and seemed ready for the chase again.

The child was used to this kind of life. His body had adapted so that he only needed to rest for a short amount of time in order to re fuel, though it cost him in body weight.

His metabolism burned far too many calories in a day than he could possibly hope to consume in a month. He didn't know if it was the same thing that made him heal abnormally fast, or that caused him to have such Herculean stamina.

What he did know was that it wasn't natural, and it had something to do with that growling in the back of his mind that reminded him of an angry, caged animal.

The snarling would constantly appear when his heart would beat faster than normal, from either fear or anger. Whether it was there to some how protect him or if it was a warning growl for those who dared to threaten him he couldn't distinguish. Ame only knew that it comforted him immensely, knowing he had that presence somewhere in his mind and that he was never alone.

But as it currently was, the growling had restarted when the child started to panic in the man's grip…and going by his instincts, he obeyed the warning and struggled until he was put down.

However, just as he was about to bolt from the group of ninja, Ame caught sight of the shadows in the alleyway nearby.

His heart hammered against his chest, and the growling intensified.

The renegades were lurking in the shadows, just waiting for an opportunity to strike. But, for some reason, they were hesitating and looked extremely apprehensive in such close range to the man holding him.

The only reason Ame could see them so clearly was because his eyes had adjusted to near darkness for the entirety of his early development. The child could see things in the dark and shadows that most would need a light source for.

Unconsciously, his alarmed body backed away from the ninja in the shadow, and further into the hold of the ones caring for him.

Oblivious to the nearby threat, the three shinobi formed a triangle around Ame; sheltering him. It was oddly comforting, and distressing at the same time.

"I'm sorry if it gets you in trouble little one, but I'll give you a note or something signed by the hokage…I am _not_ however letting a child so young simply wonder off into the night in a state like this."

Minato then adjusted his hold on the boy and picked him up again, this time more securely and heavily wrapped in the robe.

Ame didn't struggle this time. He only buried his head under the man's neck, trying to escape the furious gazes of the renegades.

Smiling tenderly, Minato held the child firmly, and headed off down the street.

A feeling of guilt swept through the hokage then, for a reason that he didn't understand. Thinking about it caused him a sharp stab through the heart as he thought it might be his own little boy causing the guilt in his mind; jealous that his father decided to help some stranger, and yet couldn't even save his own son.

Grimacing, he forced the thought from his psyche and onto more important matters.

The child's shaking and obvious fear caused Minato distress. He hated seeing anyone in pain or suffering, especially of the younger generation. Trying to soothe him until they got there was about the only thing he could do at this point.

"Well, you obviously don't like talking to strangers kid…so I won't become a stranger." He smiled warmly at the boy. "My name is Namikaze Minato, and these two buffoons behind me are…"

"Hatake Kakashi" the silver haired ninja interrupted, smiling through his mask.

"And _moi_, the oh-so-famous, Uchiha Obito." The other ninja finished.

"Famous….I bet over half this town wouldn't even know who you are without the name Uchiha…."

"Same for you Hatake…" he replied bitterly. " Or maybe it's the fact you were so generously given an Uchiha eye in the first place."

The two then began a shouting match that went totally unheard, for Minato had taken to jumping from rooftop to escape the noise.

"So we're not complete strangers any more right?" Minato smiled.

"Mina…" Ame had forgotten the other half of his name because of the distraction the shadows placed.

Warmed by the try, the Yondaime finished for him.

"Minato" he told the boy, pronouncing the syllables a bit slower.

"Mina…to"

"Yes, good job, you're a pretty fast learner for a…um…how old are you anyway?"

Ame didn't see the harm in telling him his age, only the name giving part bothered him…so he continued.

Raising his hands to boast how good he was with numbers, he counted out what he thought was correct, and held up six fingers.

"Four!" he beamed proudly.

The Yondaime laughed and ruffled the child's hair causing him to giggle. Smiling brightly, Minato continued off towards the hokage tower.

"Hey wait for us!….jeeze."

He rolled his eyes as his students caught up with him.

"So we're not strangers to him anymore?…well then just to let you know, you would make a fine ninja, kid. You're a fast little devil"

"And smart…smarter than you Obito." Kakashi remarked.

"Hypocrite, he was evading the _both_ of us…"

"Yeah, well, I would've caught him had we not crash landed thanks to your stupidity."

"What the hell, it was your leg that tripped me!"

"I'll have you both know that it was the two of you who tripped over the child, causing the kunai to inflict more damage, and crushing us innocent bystanders." Minato intervened.

Unnerved, the two jounin shrunk back, as their sensei's unwavering gaze flicked over to them, annoyed.

"Hehe um…well it was still Kakashi's fault." Obito remarked.

"He **just** said it was your fault, idiot"

"No he didn't!"

Ignoring their rambling, Minato sighed and jumped further away towards the next roof. Hearing his student's squabbling closely behind him made the hokage pick up speed.

"I swear those two are going to be the death of me…" he muttered.

Ame was content to just benefiting from the ride, for he found it utterly fascinating to travel at such high speeds. Smiling, he reached his head out more to see the view.

"Enjoying yourself, eh…" Minato chuckled.

The child simply leaned back into his hold, and rested his head on the hokage's chest.

In response, Minato simply grinned and secured his grip on the boy, jumping smoothly from roof to roof.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time they reached the tower and the stars were scattered across the heavens in a thick blanket.

Looking up in wonder Ame tried to memorize the beautiful sight, for he had never lasted a whole day in Konoha without being caught in the end. The child had never witnessed the nighttime sky.

As Minato landed on the window seal and jumped into the office with his students close behind him, he saw that indeed Tsunade was still there talking animatedly with Sarutobi, along with Jiraiya.

His sensei, upon seeing him smiled and walked over.

Nervous among the suddenly new group of people, Ame tried to get out of the man's grip.

"Easy there little one, they won't hurt you. I promise…well I can't say much for him." He pointed at the white haired sannin.

"I swear I get no respect from you, you little smart ass. I wouldn't hurt a fly" He grumbled.

"No…of course not." Minato smiled inwardly.

"Ahhh…Jiraiya-sama, thank goodness you're here!" Kakashi cried, moving from behind the Yondaime.

"I was wondering if you had, by chance, another of one of your extremely, rare Icha Icha Paradise books on you?" the jounin stated crying comedic tears. "The bastard to my left threw the limited edition that you had so graciously signed for me into the river…"

"He threw it into the **river**?" the sannin asked angrily.

"Hai!"

Glaring daggers at the Uchiha for a second who was sweating nervously in the background, Jiraiya then let out a large laughing fit.

Confused, the two ninja looked at each other, then back at the sannin.

"Um…sir…?"

"I only say that they are limited edition in order to gain more value in them, there are thousands of copies of supposed "Limited editions", "Golden editions", ect……..ahem" Jiraiya tried to calm himself. "Say, Minato, when did your students become so…laid back. You need to give them a few assassination missions to keep them tip top…I think one of them is already starting to crack." He smiled, as the two jounin shot him murderous looks.

Then turning back to his apprentice, he noticed what the man was carrying.

"And if I may ask, but what are you doing with that poor bleeding child in your arms?"

At that, he had gained the attention of the other two occupants within the room.

"Minato, what the hell!" Tsunade yelled, rushing over to him.

The female sannin strode over to where the blonde was standing and was about to take the child from him, when her fast movement caused Ame to wince.

"If I may; but where did you find him? I don't recognize him as one of the village children." Sarutobi asked, as Tsunade slowly reached a hand down to rub the child's cheek in concern.

"Ask them…they're the ones that technically found him. I, sort of bumped in along the way." Minato said, pointing to the two arguing idiots behind him.

"If you would excuse me though, Sandaime-sama…I need to take him to my room so I can at least clean him up. Do you mind coming with me Tsunade? He sort of has a deep puncture wound from a kunai."

She gave him a stern look before following him out of the room and down the hall towards the hokage's private relief center.

It had all of the necessities he needed whenever he wanted to take a break from work, including a bed and living room along with a nice decorated bathroom.

"Start a bath first Minato, it looks like he's in stage two hypothermia from what I can tell." She noted pointing to his pale skin and violent shivering.

"Poor little guy, you've had a rough day haven't you" the hokage spoke to him worriedly.

Ame was still uncomfortable with speaking so freely with all the adults nearby, but he was freezing cold and couldn't help but stay still as the woman came up, closely behind him.

He buried his head into the crook of the man's shoulder as she started raising glowing green hands towards his wound.

Minato just held him soothingly as Tsunade healed his shoulder injury. When she was done, he carried Ame over to the bath room where he leaned down towards the large tub and started the water.

The warm heat being transferred from the hokage's body caused Ame to bury deeper. The action made the Yondaime smile gently as he leaned down against the bathtub and enveloped the child further in his coat; waiting for the water to fill up.

Minato watched as Tsunade inspected the boy with a critical eye, before returning to the counter of the tub and pouring in various bath salts into the water.

"If I may ask…but what are you doing?"

"His arms and legs, at least of what I can see, are all bruised and beat-up. I'm adding in healing salts so that it might cause the obvious aching the child's body is going through to lessen, or do you just want him to suffer?"

Alarmed, Minato did a quick inspection of the boy, and sure enough, on his exposed appendages, there were lots of abrasion marks.

"How did I miss _that_?" he wondered aloud as he gently took up the process of rubbing Ame's head tenderly.

"Hey kid, where did you get those, and if I might add, who were you running away from before?"

The child looked up at him with an anxious and scared expression. His obvious fear caused Minato to react in a way that would put the child at ease. He lowered his head onto the child's, tucking him under his neck and continued to gently massage the frightened four-year old. It was working from what he could tell, for he felt the child's heart beat slow down considerably.

"It's alright…no one's going to hurt you, but please," Minato looked down into the boy's blue eyes.

"It will help us a lot if you can tell me who did this to you."

Trembling, Ame tried to think of an answer but couldn't. The whole concept of Blight caused the child's body to chill even more, if that was possible.

"No…"he answered quietly. Not in a way that made him seem he was being difficult, but that he just couldn't answer.

Concerned, the hokage looked up to Tsunade for help.

She had leaned down next to him and was rubbing the child's back as well.

"Do you think it could be abuse?" He asked her.

"That's the more likely theory, but until we get some answers from him, it could still be a number of things…not that a child could inflict this sort of damage onto himself." She added bitterly.

"Well, Kakashi did say that he willingly jumped off a waterfall..."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind." He grinned.

Leaning over, he turned the water off just a little, so that a steady stream was still being emitted.

"Ok, little one...judging from your appearance, I would say it's been a while since you've taken a bath."

Ame merely looked longingly at the steaming liquid, as his body was still numb from the cold.

Minato gently lifted the child's arms to take the dirty shirt off.

"You don't mind washing these do you?" he asked Tsunade.

"No I'll take them…they don't look too beat up, only a little big for him."

As he removed the shirt though, both adults gasped, as shock was engraved on their faces. For Minato, there was also a burning fury building up within him. Carved into the child's skin on his back were countless slashes, obviously caused from a whip of some sort. And some, Minato noted painfully, were rather recent.

All of his dormant parental instincts that he had never fully gotten a chance harness cried out at the cruelty done onto the innocent boy.

"Who could have done this?" Tsunade asked horrified, as she gingerly examined a slash mark, causing the child's back to arch away from the sting of having his gashes touched.

As his eyes drifted away from his back, it was then that Minato was painfully reminded of when he first picked the child up; feeling how thin the boy was.

The child was still above being emaciated and completely bony, for he had some meat on him as well as muscle. But that was it.

No baby fat, no protruding stomach that all children were supposed to have, no nothing.

Choking back a snarl that was sure to escape his throat at the mistreatment, he carefully unwrapped the boy's legs from his coat and handed Tsunade the rest of his clothes.

The cold was too much for Ame then…his shivering was becoming uncontrolled, but upon having the wet clothes taken off proved to be a major plus. He was carefully lifted and set into the hot water, which felt extremely satisfying.

Tsunade got up to go drop the clothes off in the washing machine as well as Minato's hokage robe.

She took her time as she left, allowing her thoughts to settle and sort themselves out.

Dunking under the water, Ame was content to just lay at the bottom and never come up. It was pure heaven. He had never had a bath that was warm, let alone steaming hot, and it soothed his aching muscles and bruises.

But it couldn't last he sulked, as he felt hands wrap around his arm and lift him up.

Breaking the surface, he could see Minato who had fetched a wash cloth and was adding soap to it. His face had a tint of anger to it, but that was masked by the gentle and affectionate look he was giving the boy now. His eyes conveyed no sense of hatred directed at Ame, and that made the youngster relax.

"I know how good a hot bath feels on a sore body, but you don't think I would honestly let you drown yourself, do you." He asked jokingly. Minato forced his mind to think away from the child's condition. He would deal with that later. Taking hold of an arm, he gently began washing away any excess soot that was left on his body.

To Ame, the exfoliating felt almost as good as the bath itself. It stimulated his blood flow, and the chills his body was making before completely vanished.

As he finished cleaning the black substance off of the boy's body, the hokage turned to his hair.

"I notice you have a spiky hair style as well," Minato grinned. "This stuff will make it about three times spikier, and will hold the shape much better." He added proudly, causing Ame to snort in mirth.

Pouring the shampoo in his hand, he set about washing the child's hair of the soot. The bubbles concealed his hair for the most part, until Minato was satisfied and had him dunk again. Washing the soap out made the hair clean of any other foreign color…which Minato then noticed, surprisingly, left him with the same color as his own hair when it was wet: An extremely light brown.

Startled, he pushed the thought away, as he conditioned the child's hair and then finished the bath.

Now thoroughly clean, as he hadn't felt that way in months, Ame felt invigorated. Minato wrapped him in a clean cotton towel that was far too big for his body and took him in the living room to dry off.

Rubbing the towel through his hair drained it of excess water, and it was then that Minato couldn't deny what he had seen anymore. Softly poking up in small spikes even though it was still damp, the child's hair was turning the most extraordinary color of golden blonde. Matched only to… well… the Yondaime's.

Marveling at the sight, his mind began turning the gears as he looked into the child's eyes. His vivid sapphire color gleaming in the light. Then turning to the hair again, his mind couldn't help but draw up an extremely painful assumption.

_No, no, no! It couldn't be. Minato you saw the wreckage of the tower yourself…he couldn't be alive. Could he?_

Now clean of any dirt, and his hair becoming slightly fuzzier by the minute, the child looked absolutely adorable. The only thing left for Ame to do now was recharge and expect an unwelcoming brutal day tomorrow. Blight **would** catch him again, there was no doubt about that. But as he nestled closer to Minato who leaned back in a chair to hold him more comfortably, he couldn't help but feel safe and secure for the first time in a long time.

He looked up into his holder's eyes, and felt a euphoric feeling wash through his body. The look Minato was giving him was filled with so much love and affection that he could almost feel it.

"Mina?" he asked him. It wasn't that he had forgotten it again, but the man's name just flowed easier that way.

Smiling fondly at the title, Minato gently brushed the child's hair back.

"Hmm?"

"My name is…Ame." The boy softly whispered. He looked up at the adult, trusting him. This was a new experience for the boy. The only (partial) grown ups who treated him like anything special were his caretakers, and even they would only go so far as to stick up for him in front of Blight.

The growling in his head when he had first met the man, he now concluded, wasn't directed to the one holding him, but to the ninja in the shadows waiting to jump him.

He laid his head down on Minato's chest and was calmed as he felt it rise and fall with his even breathing.

"Ame…." The man repeated warmly. "It suits you, for a youngster so unafraid to get wet he'd willingly jump off a _waterfall_ of all things."

That caused the child to giggle.

The steady beat of Minato's heart was hypnotizing, making him drowsy. Like the entrancing effects a rainstorm has when you're in a comfortable bed. It didn't take long before his small body drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

The Yondaime felt Ame's breathing deepen and smiled as he gently rubbed the cotton towel against his skin, keeping him warm.

Sighing, Minato got up from the chair, careful to not wake the boy in his arms, and stood over by the window.

Hearing footsteps he turned his head slightly as the door opened, revealing Jiraiya followed closely suit by his two students.

"Minato what…"

"Shhh… He just fell asleep a couple minutes ago." Running a hand through his blonde hair he made his way over to his own mentor.

"Jiraiya-sensei…after this, do you mind sending a message to all of the village's orphanages, asking if they're missing a child of his appearance?"

"You know I don't…but what's got you and Tsunade so worked up all of a sudden?"

Closing the door behind them, Kakashi and Obito got closer to the boy, as Minato, who had sat back down on the chair, very carefully exposed Ame's back to the three.

Now that the child was bare of any dirt or spots, the lacerations on his body stood out even more.

He heard his students' sharp intake of breath and Minato watched as his sensei's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"If there's one thing I don't like in this world, its people who take advantage of others in this way. It's appalling." The sannin murmured.

"I can't get any clear answers from Ame about where he came from, or who did this to him, and I sure as hell am not going to use force…so I don't know what to do."

"Ame?"

Smiling affectionately, Minato stroked his hand along the child's whisker marks.

"That's his name."

"Well at least you got something out of him then." Kakashi said.

"Sensei, is it wrong to say that he looks just like you? I couldn't tell what his features were before, with all the soot covering him." Obito marveled.

Minato didn't know what to say to that. He had his own assumptions, but he couldn't bare to go into more detailed thoughts concerning them. Images of his son, Naruto, from the one night that he got to see him, flashed through his head like a movie projector. The smiling infant, gazing at him wonderingly. His gorgeous captivating blue eyes. His toothless smile as he looked up at his father happily...trusting him. The demon roaring into the night, as all of the thousands of corpses were scattered on the plain. Blood...lots and lots of blood.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he shuddered and tightened his grip on the child in his arms.

"Obito, you and Kakashi go down and alert Sarutobi of the situation. Minato…can I speak with you alone for a minute." Jiraiya asked.

The Yondaime opened his eyes and gave his sensei a quizzical look before nodding to his students.

As the two Jounin exited, Jiraiya sighed heavily and sat down on the ottoman next to Minato's chair.

"Kid, knowing you, I'm warning you not to get too close to the child, ok."

Angry, Minato instinctively pulled Ame deeper into the blankets surrounding him and further from view.

"What's that suppose to mean."

"You and I both know Minato…I can tell just by looking at your face." Jiraiya's look softened. "I just don't want to see you hurt again."

Avoiding his sensei's gaze, Minato turned and looked at the sleeping child.

"Why can't you see that perhaps there was a chance that he survived." He muttered quietly; almost as if trying to convince himself. Shaking his head he continued. "Jiraiya, I can't just abandon the boy…look at him."

He held Ame further out so his teacher could get a good look at all the scars.

"I'm not saying you should just leave him, but I don't want you to make false assumptions that could damage both you and him."

The hokage gave a look that would say _I would never_, but as the sannin stared at him unwaveringly, Minato merely gave into pouting; making the older man snicker.

"Alright, alright…I concede. I promise I won't get too attached, however."

Groaning, Jiraiya waited for him to continue.

"In the morning, I want to check something, just to be sure."

"Check what?"

Smiling sadly, Minato absently rubbed the child's stomach.

"You'll see..."

The sannin got up after that and pushed the hokage down playfully, so that he had to scramble in order not to wake the child up. Growling, Minato glared at his teacher who merely chuckled.

"See you in the morning then, _Hokage-sama_" he winked and then exited through the doorway.

While muttering curses at his mentor, he rubbed the boy's head gently and leaned back in the chair to rest.

"At least you don't treat me any differently little one, er sort of; not that you even know I'm the hokage." He mused as he talked to the child.

Frowning, he chanced a glance over to where his sensei had departed. Seeing no shadows underneath the bottom of the door, Minato then lifted the towel down a small bit, so that the boy's torso was fully exposed.

"Just a little pressure right here, and the old man will never have to know."

He was about to place his chakra covered hand over Ame's abdomen, where the seal would most likely have been if he was right, when Jiraiya came bursting through the doorway, startling the Yondaime.

"What the hell, Jiraiya!"

"I forgot my research notebook, God only knows what would happen if that fell into the wrong hands."

"You mean Tsunade's"

Trembling, the sannin picked up the notebook from the table, saluted, and left again.

"Kami..." Minato looked down at the boy once again who only snuggled closer for warmth.

"Guess I'll just have to wait then…I wouldn't want this to wake you anyway." he smiled at the child, then grumbled. "Tch…stupid old sage…"

The hokage laid his head back onto the chair's pillow, trying not to think about anything too deeply. It took awhile before his mind finally cleared enough to allow him to fall asleep.

* * *

A couple hours into the night, Tsunade came into the room to check up on Minato. The sight made her warm, as she beheld the two occupants sleeping soundly on the large chair.

"God, the resemblance of that child is uncanny…." She talked to herself.

Setting the recently washed clothes of the boy's on the table near the chair, she picked up the child from Minato's grasp, and clothed him in the still warm attire. With his body now concealed again, you would never know it if you didn't see it before the brutality that the child's body had gone through.

Placing him back in his spot near the Yondaime, she watched, smiling to herself, as the boy burrowed back into Minato's chest; triggering the hokage to pull the child deeper within his embrace.

As she was about to leave however, her heart nearly broke as she heard Minato mutter, oblivious to her presence.

_Naruto…_ he quietly whispered in his sleep.

Looking on painfully, she tenderly brushed the hokage's bangs out of his face. Minato still hadn't gotten over the loss of his son, and she doubted he ever would. He put on a tough front when facing the villagers and the ninja, but she knew what lied beneath the surface; as did all of those closest to him.

Turning the lights off, she quietly departed and let him be.

* * *

(The Underground – Main Market Center)

Blight growled dangerously as he took in what his cronies had to say. The ninja present had returned a couple of hours ago, and to his terror, childless.

"You cannot honestly expect me to believe that a sniveling _four year old_ got away from five fully trained shinobi; what the **hell** have I been doing, paying you people!" he shouted.

"Please sir, don't make assumptions, it will only turn out worse if you do." one of the ninja warned. "…he escaped us by tumbling over a cataract on the village river. By the time we discovered that he had survived it and found him again, the Yondaime hokage and two of his subordinates had caught a hold of him. You know what would have happened had we intervened."

At the mention of the hokage, though, Blight began to pale.

"You're lying, tell me who really caught him; it couldn't have been who you say it was…anyone but him..." he trembled.

"Sir, there's no need to worry, we'll go back in the morning and see if there's an opening; we'll get him back." The leader of the group explained.

"You damn better get him back! If you don't…if you don't…" he didn't get to finish.

"Is everything alright Blight-san…I don't seem to remember coming across little Ame today. You wouldn't know where he is would you?"

Blight turned around and saw the leader of one of the Underground's more ruthless gangs, standing behind him, with a look of pure venom adorned on his face.

"No, no, everything's fine Ijin…I have him locked back up home in his cell."

"That's good news, because heaven forbid if he got out again…I don't know how I would be able to drill in the penalty as inventively to you as I did last time. Eh" he grinned murderously, before walking past the shivering slave owner.

"Have a good night then…"

"Y-you too..."

Blight remained rooted to the spot until Ijin was out of sight. Then he reared on his henchmen with a fury that made them back away. "I want you to find him as soon as possible, no excuses, and then bring him straight to me. You're dismissed."

As the ninja took off, Blight headed back home to his awaiting servants. He would teach them a lesson for letting Ame slip away, yet again.

to be continued...

* * *

A.N. If your wondering why Minato is so affectionate with Ame when he only just met him, think about it. He's a gentle person who has already lost his son and has parental concerns for any child in need. If you're still wondering, consider this: If you've ever watched one of those animal police shows and you see a beaten and abused puppy, what would you do? Not that i'm saying the Yondaime considers the child an animal, but the action is still there: Abuse equals cuddle material. Ame just seems to call out to Minato more, for some _unknown_ reason...cough ;)

- Answers to questions so far: Ame doesn't know his real name yet because Miya and Shiro have yet to tell him. Also, there really won't be any room to explore pairings; it would make things too complicated for what i have in mind. The story is mainly about Naruto and Minato, and their struggle to regain what was taken from them early on.

- Regarding Ame shortening Minato's name. If you think it sounds like a girl's nickname it's not. He's a four year old so he can get away with saying any name and the gender of it wouldn't matter. Besides I though it was a cute way of recognizing how the boy was warming up to Minato. Mina doesn't sound too feminnine...i think. X:D

- On the last note, Ijin means devil or barbarian in japanese. He's one of the people who calls himself a peace-keeper of the black market, and will do whatever it takes to ensure no outsiders find out about the city.

I hope you enjoy!


	4. Family Divided

**Shadow of Rain**

Chapter 4

* * *

Slowly coming back to awareness, Ame opened his eyes and felt the warmest he'd ever felt in his life. His memories seemed to elude him however. The boy dimly noted that the clothes on his body were now clean and smelled so fresh. He slowly moved around his head trying to wonder where he'd fallen asleep. While looking around the room, the events of the other day came rushing back to him.

As he stirred, he noticed his body seemed to be wrapped up in something. Turning his head back around, the child saw that the man from before had fallen asleep with him in the chair. His arms were what secured the boy to be so still, and yet the comfort of that touch seemed indescribable.

The child felt so safe right then. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep and rest, but he realized soon enough what it must mean if he had spent the night here. Ame had been on the surface, for several hours it seemed. He'd spent an entire day and night away from home.

Dread filled his being at the coming thoughts. If he was here, then Blight was still out there searching, and Ame had yet to come home. The trouble he would be in once he got back would be severe.

Then a horrifying concept swept through the boy's mind.

_'What if Blight looks here? His men saw me yesterday so he must know where I am. What if I've accidentally led them here and…and they hurt him.'_

He looked down at the peaceful face of the other blonde who was still fast asleep. He couldn't do that to him; not when he had so kindly cared for him last night and cleaned him up.

Ame wouldn't let them. No matter what, he would lead them away from Minato.

Making up his mind, the child sighed as he tried to absorb as much of the warmth as he could. He had rarely ever been exposed to such a serene environment before, so he proceeded to memorize enough of it to keep him content.

Out of curiosity, Ame raised a small hand and twirled one of the man's blonde spikes through his fingers. The hair flicked when he let go, but then went back to its original shape. Minato made no move that suggested he even felt it.

_So he wasn't kidding about the shampoo then…hehe._

Smiling sadly, he unwrapped the hokage's arms from his body and very quietly got up and off of the chair.

Once the two were separated, he noticed immediately the chill of the room temperature, and forced himself not to indulge by jumping back into the warm cradle.

Walking over to a window, he noticed numbly that dawn was breaking over the edge of the horizon.

_'Perhaps if I sneak back in carefully, so as not to be seen, Blight would have thought he was just drunk yesterday_... _and then everything will work out fine. '_

The child began pacing back and forth in front of the window.

_'No, no that'll never work. Ame you're so stupid sometimes. Maybe I can just escape into the village somewhere…or run away into the forest…'_

The four year old sat down harshly and started pulling his hair.

_'They will come no matter where I hide. Uggg!!'_

Minato moved slightly in his sleep from the noise of the child's groaning. Looking at him desolately, the boy made his way back to the man and placed a hand on his face.

The Yondaime exhaled heavily and made the motion of bringing his arms back, as if to hug the child that was not there.

Trailing his hand along the contours of the blonde's face reassured Ame that this wasn't all a cruel dream.

"I'm sorry Minato-san…I don't want to bring the troubles of my master upon you….thank you so much for everything you've done for me."

"Naruto…" The hokage spoke softly, as if in reply.

Cocking his head at the response, the boy let his hand fall to the empty space where he had vacated, next to Minato. It was still warm.

Bottling up his emotions, he brought his hand back to his side and walked towards the door. Glancing back one last time, Ame quietly opened the door and shut it again as he was outside in the hall.

It was still very early, he noted, for there wasn't a single person in the passage way as he silently crept through the building. Getting lost numerous times…the child decided to just back track and explore until he was out.

Luck be have it, he didn't have to wait that long, as a secretary-like person came walking through the halls; ignorant to the child hiding in the shadows, and took off with all of her belongings together. Figuring she was someone working the night shift, Ame followed her and sure enough, the lady led him right to the exit.

Smiling he was about to run out when a delicious smell permeated through the air of the main lobby.

Lifting a curious head above a desk, he caught site of a heavenly sent box of freshly baked pastries. Looking around to check if the coast was clear, Ame hopped onto the desk and leapt carefully over to the table where the goodies were. Snagging around five large strawberry filled…things…, he stuffed a sixth one in his mouth and jumped down and ran through the revolving doors.

Grinning mischievously, he was about to think guiltily that he had actually stolen from the people who worked for Minato, when a sharp growl from the child's tummy ceased his train of thought.

Chomping down on a stuffed pastry, Ame ran down the main street, trying to conceal himself within the shade of the early dawn. He basked in the wonderful fresh air which was scented like rainkissed leaves; A pure clean smell that came only in the morning or after a storm.

As Ame made his way further down the village streets, almost near the city gates, he had finished his breakfast and was licking the sauce and crumbs left over. All of the bread had made him thirsty, so the child headed over to the river where he had escaped yesterday to get a cool, long drink.

The town was just starting to awaken as his stomach was finally satisfied.

Knowledge of the current situation left him feeling uneasy as the ecstatic feeling of having food faded away. Creeping back into the shade, Ame headed for the center of town. He wanted to be in a crowded place, both for the company and security. As he stopped and waited near a gambling casino, the boy tried to think about how to approach his predicament.

Thinking too deeply, he lost awareness of his surroundings and was interrupted in his thoughts as a bright blue ball knocked him on the head, making him fall over into the ground.

Spiting out a mouthful of dirt, he glared at the perpetrators of such an act.

Three innocent looking miscreants were running over to his fallen body looking like the naïve little children that they were.

_'Oh! How lucky they are. As I am stuck here wondering about a way to outmaneuver a gang of ninja, they go on playing games; Pshh…the little wimps no nothing of a hard life.'_

His sarcastic inner rants passed through deaf ears as the children came sprinting up to him with stupid happy grins on their faces.

"Hey, new guy…" a kid with a shock of brown spiky hair and what looked like red fang marks going down his cheeks addressed him.

_'New Guy!'_ He inwardly snarled.

"Thanks for taking that hit; if you didn't, our ball would have gone inside that casino and the adults won't let us in there…they say it would corrupt us or something."

Hearing that, Ame snorted and pushed himself up. Dusting himself off, he regarded the two others next to the boy who had spoken to him.

A kid with a bored expression in his eyes and a pineapple-like hair style gave him a smile when they caught eyes, and the other one was a rather larger kid who wore a happy grin as he watched him, while simultaneously eating a bag of potato chips.

"I don't remember seeing your face anywhere around the village. Do you want to play with us?"

_'Just ignore them Ame...walk away! Don't give into temptation!'_

But as he looked at the bright blue ball at his feet and back up at the three smiling children, a strange feeling overcame his sense of reason and he picked the ball up and threw it at them, amused.

Beaming, the one in the middle caught it and introduced himself.

"My name's Kiba and this is Shikamaru and Choji."

Ame, while pondering what had just happened to his rational thoughts, spoke back to the boy.

"My name's Ame. What game are you playing?"

"Tag...and so naturally, since you got hit last…..that means you're it!" Kiba shouted while tossing the ball back to the blonde.

Laughing the children took off for the playground nearby.

Shaking his head, Ame wondered what the heck had come over him. Pushing those thoughts aside however, a foreign sense of excitement welled up inside him.

He held the ball tightly and chased after the three boys with a new sense of reckless abandon.

Throwing the ball with a precise aim that he had acquired, it hit the boy, Shikamaru, in the back. Grinning, said boy picked up the ball and started chasing Ame who swore he had heard the child mutter "Troublesome..."

Bounding away, Ame wove in and out of the playground equipment to dodge attacks by the kid.

Kiba had barely managed to avoid a hit to the leg by vaulting over it in a dog like fashion and started running alongside Ame. The two then hid in the bright yellow tube slide while waiting for Shikamaru to appear.

Panting slightly, the blonde was awash in a feeling he hadn't felt in awhile. Playing with kids his own age gave him a sense of fun. Even though he hated to admit it…deep down Ame knew that he had always wanted to participate in the games he had seen from afar. His whole childhood was deprived of the very thing that would have defined him as, well…a child. And it hurt him, thinking about all of the things that Blight had taken away from him.

And for what, just so that he could be kept behind bars; awaiting an owner to purchase him, then to be forced to do strenuous labor for the rest of his life.

Why should he have to stay in the Underground just because Blight _owned_ him? It wouldn't be like anyone would miss him. Ame was absent from participating in a whole world of exploration and adventures up here. Once he had experienced that first taste of the surface back on his first escape, going back down into those caverns was suffocating.

He wanted a normal life. To be able to run and play with the children in the playgrounds, to be able to have food and water available when he needed it; to have protection and security…and love. Thinking back to Minato, Ame's heart compressed painfully as he remembered the affectionate way the older blonde's eyes had looked at him.

More than anything…..he wanted a family.

Shaking his head to clear it, the child was brought back down to earth as Shikamaru appeared at the top of the slide and threw the ball down the chute.

Laughing in enjoyment, both boys raced down the slide and ran in opposite directions.

Grabbing the ball on the ground again where they had exited, the pineapple-haired boy grumbled to himself, as he cursed about troubling blondes and dog boys.

Ame ran back and hid in the bushes surrounding the playground as he watched Shikamaru chase after Choji, who had climbed atop the red monkey bars to escape detection. Smiling, he snickered as the Akimichi was tagged on the butt when the other boy threw it up in the air.

The child watched as Kiba made a run for the bush he was hiding in, only to stop half way; looking at something behind the blonde. The brown haired boy's expression turned to confusion as his smile faded and he tried to shout something at Ame…but his warning went unheard, as before the four year old could even turn around, his head was smashed against what felt like a metal rod and he blacked out, unconscious onto the ground.

The last thing he saw before his memories turned to nothingness was Kiba's horrified face, as Ame felt he was picked up and then turned around to face a ninja in black.

* * *

Sarutobi and Jiraiya watched anxiously as the Yondaime was pacing around in his office.

Trying to bring the blonde back to sense, Jiraiya intercepted him as he was crossing the room and placed both hands on his shoulders, forcing him to sit down on the chair.

"Oomph...sensei please, I can't concentrated on hokage matters at the moment. Let me up."

"Sorry kid, but as well as worrying about your health, your making me dizzy with all that pacing."

"Sensei, what if something happened to him, or he's all alone out there, or scared….we need to find him." Minato pleaded.

"Has it ever occurred to you that he might have just gone back home?" the sannin questioned.

Minato looked down as if in denial, then brought his face back up in a rage.

"Why would he go back to a home that hurts him so much? He might have just gotten spooked is all and ran off. Jiraiya, if you leave a kid that young on the streets alone, something is bound to happen….and I never even got a chance to check and see if…"he trailed off at the end, mumbling to himself.

Jiraiya looked at his student in pain. He hated himself for doing this to him, but if he could convince Minato to let the child go, then he wouldn't be as hurt in the end. He knew what the Yondaime wanted to check for this morning, and he had inwardly sighed in relief when they discovered the boy was missing.

However, another side of him was truly worried for the child. If he had indeed gone back to that abusive home and was mistreated even more, then it might end up worse all together if Minato found out.

Sighing, the sannin decided to compromise.

"Minato, I've already sent out messages to the village orphanages and if they claim to have seen the boy or heard of him recently I'll let you know. But, thinking back, you said that the child told you he had no guardians. So maybe he's still in the city somewhere. It's not like Ame's on the brink of death so he should last long enough for someone to find him."

Rubbing a hand over his face, the hokage sagged back into the chair and mumbled incoherently.

Smirking, Jiraiya turned to leave out the window.

"Where are you going?" Sarutobi questioned.

"Hehe, well all of this worrying has got me worn out, so I think a bit of research is in order!" With that, the white haired sannin lept out and down the hokage tower.

Rolling his eyes, the Yondaime merely set about to start on the day's enormous stack of mission reports, mission requests, and what not… The paper formed quit nicely into a miniature mountain.

He had made it through roughly 3 pages when he just couldn't concentrate anymore. '_Will he be ok all by himself?' _The child's azure blues kept appearing in his mind, along with the brutal shape his body was in. His starved body that had bones potruding almost everywhere.

Enraged, the Yondaime clenched his hand together in a fist; his knuckles turning white from the pressure. Minato was brought out of it when he heard a large snap echo through the room, and looked to see a now broken pen being released from his death grip.

Growling to himself, he threw the mess into the trashcan and started to search for another.

While Minato browsed through some rather pen-less drawers in his desk, he heard a faint chuckling from his position on the floor. Looking up, the blonde noticed the Sandaime hovering over the table as he placed a pen on his stack of papers.

"Stressed out much?"

Sighing, Minato ran a hand through his hair, letting the bangs fall over his face.

"I can't help it old man; if you had seen the damage done to the boy you'd be as worried as I am." The young hokage sat back in the chair and started back on his work, sulking.

The third merely glanced out towards the village through the window with a troubled look.

"Judging from the way you and Tsunade reacted to him, I won't take his case lightly, but please don't loose any sleep over this Minato. There are more important matters to consider."

"Like what…"

"Well, ...for one, the village festival honoring your defeat over the Kyuubi is coming up in around a month. You should relax a little and enjoy yourself. These days all you do is work; leaving no time to do the things you used to enjoy."

The Yondaime had an unreadable expression adorned on his face. He tried to mask the pain that he was sure would surface but it was extremely hard.

"So it's been close to five years then. Who knew that time could move by so fast huh? …"

The Sandaime's mood turned sharply at his words. His gentle and all knowing smile vanished, leaving a frown on his old face.

"Minato……"

The blonde closed his eyes. Turning his head so that it faced away from the third, he let his mask drop in remembrance to his lost family. Biting his lip, he fought back the tear that was threatening to fall from his shadowed eye.

Minato could hear him so clearly. His baby's angelic cry, which warmed his heart even when he hadn't heard it in so long. He remembered him in exquisite detail. From his charming little spiky hair to the velvet texture of his soft skin. His glowing blue eyes were the most endearing though; shining in the moonlight on that dark night.

Minato's son was perfect in his eyes. Absolutely perfect and he couldn't have felt any prouder when he had first held his child in his arms. Naruto's tiny body; so delicate and fragile in his strong hold.

The young hokage found the concept of parenthood absolutely fascinating. Shinobi were true murderers of the night; assassins trained and built to kill and serve. For ninja so powerful, who could rip enemies piece by piece with their bare hands, they made the best of parents whenever they had the chance to have them. When Minato had held his newborn in those deadly hands, he carried him with the utmost protection. Treating him with delicacy and compassion that came from thousands of centuries of evolved parental instincts.

He thought that love couldn't possibly grow beyond what he had felt for Kushina, but he was proven wrong when father and son locked eyes for the first time.

He also didn't think that the human heart could live after experiencing such unparalleled adoration, and then having it ripped right from your soul; merely hours after you gained it.

The dull throbbing in his chest brought him out of his vindictive reverie. Exhaling deeply, he forced himself to control his emotions and get back to work. The Sandaime had only stood there with a calm facade. He walked back towards the door then and proceeded to leave. He knew that when Minato got like this, trying to cheer him up, or anything else of that sort, was downright unattainable. Bowing once in respect, the old man uttered goodbye.

As Sarutobi turned to leave however, he was nearly barelled over by a flash of white, black, and blue. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin paraded through the office and gasped as they tried to catch their breathes. Minato looked up, perplexed, as he eyed the trio.

"What did they do now Rin?" he grumbled; inwardly glad that they had offered up a distraction.

"Sensei!..."cried the outraged brunette, whose face was turning a deadly shade of scarlet. "They mnnffff...?"

Both of the men grabbed and held her mouth shut, cutting her off, which made the hokage raise a brow in confusion.

"It's nothing hokage-sama!! We were just pranking is all...harmless fun! I swear!" Obito reasoned.

"Yeah...harmless fun, er, right Obito-kun!" Kakashi grinned behind his mask, thumping the other on the back.

"Obito...kun? Oh god...Who are you and what have you done to Kakashi!!"

The ANBU stationed nearby appeared, and were about to aprehend the now obviosly sweating jounin, when multiple screams from outside distracted everyone. Looking through the window, the hokage noticed an enormous hord of towel clad females marching furiously down the street, holding sharpened pitch forks and torches.

Sweat dropping, the Yondaime turned around slowly, and it was then that he noticed Rin, wearing nothing but the same white towels as the girls outside, and looking ready to murder the two beside her.

Smacking himself on the head harshly, he looked up at the two who were now shaking uncontrollably with sweat rolling down their bodies.

"If it involves Jiraiya in any way...I don't want to hear it."

* * *

(The Underground -Outskirts. Night):

Ame struggled to make his body stand back up. Leaning on his knees, he spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground, near his master's feet in malice. One of the guards hurried his precession and brought him up so that he was standing. The boy's shirtless torso exposed his ribcage prominently each time he took in a deep frequent breath.

Blight started pacing back and forth in front of him, ignoring the blood on his sandals, all the while glowering at the child.

"Do you have _any_ idea of what you might have just done?" he burst at him harshly.

Snarling, he signaled to his two henchmen standing near by, who turned the boy so that his back was to the slave owner. Each holding on to a slender arm, they secured him so that any idea of escape would be hopeless. Raising his hand which held a leather Cat O' Nine tails that reached down almost to the floor, Blight whipped it through the air as it came slashing down onto the child's bare back.

Swallowing a scream that was forming in his throat, Ame took the punishment as silently as possible. He wouldn't let that demon see him bend to his will. The child felt the nine separate straps of the whip slice through his flesh and the stinging pain that accompanied it, seconds after. He mentally prepared himself for the next set of strikes; wincing as he heard the air whiplash from the sharp movements.

As the amount of belts that he was receiving evaded his mind, the only thing he could focus on was his growing hatred of the man behind him. With each stream of flashing nerves that ran though his body, his loathing elevated higher and his eyes lost any of the sparkling innocence that they once had.

While Ame's anger was mounting, the child's Indigo irises darkened considerably and flashed crimson as they turned a venomous shade of blood red. His pupils turned to slits and he felt blood in his mouth as sharp fangs elongated and pierced his lip. The aura around him hinted of nothing else but pure rage. Animalistic growls emerged from his mouth and heightened every time the whip was brought down on his body. The child felt a white hot searing pain in his stomach then, but he didn't mind, for it helped by alleviating some of the pain from the slashes.

With their ninja senses developed enough to sense the sudden change; the guards holding the boy started shuddering from the deadly feeling leaking from him. They were close enough to his face to see his whisker marks lengthen and turn pure black, contrasting greatly to his tan, candle-lit skin. If they looked closer they could see a faint red glow emitting from those markings. They didn't know what to think. Every instinct of theirs said to release and back away, but they dared not go against Blight's orders, for he was the source of their only income.

A sharp bolt of menacing chakra shocked their senses as they felt it course through the arms they were touching. This sudden alarm caused the ninja to instantaneously free the four year old as they pulled their hands back in reflex.

"What the hell are you two doing? I only made it halfway. He has around fifteen more breaks to go…or are you sympathizing with the little devil." Blight ground into them.

"S-sir I think that's enough, he's..!"

"He's what? A stupid little child who could have potentially destroyed this whole society we have down here. Where will you end up as a result of his actions? Prison…or maybe even to the interrogation squad of the leaf."

He shut the renegades up at that. They knew of the consequences that had been laid out for shinobi who either deserted or committed the heinous crimes that filled the Underground. The last thing they wanted was to go up against the intimidating forces up above.

Looking back at the child, they noticed he had started shivering from the fresh lacerations, but the chilling sensation he was screening before had dissipated. His eyes still glowed a hateful red.

Blight cursed under his breath at the ninja and walked over to the boy. Grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, he pulled him back into the Orphanage from the back alley that they were using outside. The two walked through the main room where Ame noticed a large sum of money rested on the table. Blight forced him through the large hole in the wall, covered up by a thick veil-like curtain and threw him in a lone cell near the back wall of the prison.

The opening crack in the ceiling was right above his unit, making the mist come down and chill the room considerably. Slamming the cell door harshly, the owner turned his key to lock it. Staring back at the child, Blight suddenly noticed his changed features and repressed a shudder. With red ruby eyes, glowing silently in the darkness of the room, they stood out amongst the pitch black. Hate was thrown directly at the man as the boy glared at him.

Ignoring the sudden alterations, Blight stared the boy down in an eye lock. "You will have no food or water for the next three days, along with double the chores for the next month or so. Am I understood?" he watched smugly as the child broke their eye contact and looked down in defeat.

"…Hai"

Satisfied, he looked to the other occupants of the prison and turned on them. "If I suspect that any of you are helping him in any way at all, you will be the first to go when the next buyers come along." With that he stormed out of the room, heading for the kitchen. Anyone who had been in the slave owners care long enough knew that he was headed for the liquor cabinet.

It was then that Ame noticed why there was the fresh stack of cash in that room. Around half the children were missing since he had left. Apparently a caravan had come along when he had escaped and made the purchases.

_'Well that was close…who knows where I would have ended up if I hadn't left.'_

Upon hearing his penalty, Ame was very relieved he had filled his stomach before they had caught up to him. Of course, during food shortages in the caverns, he had gone on a lot longer than three days without food.

Looking at the cell diagonal from him, he saw Miya and Shiro huddled near the corner closest to him. Their expressions were of concern and distress. Wondering why, Ame then noticed the blood that left a trail wherever he walked. The liquid was streaming along his back and down his legs from the cuts. He didn't care though. In the morning, the wounds would have mended into scabbed scars from his...unusual healing rate. He often wondered why he never got infections though.

He crawled over to the old lumpy bed that was in the corner of the cell and curled up in a ball to try and preserve some heat. His mind was calming considerably in the peaceful atmosphere. The vapor, twirling lightly in the soft breeze, reflected an eerie blue light that came off of tiny glow worms They lined some parts of the inner cave walls in the night.

Blight had left his shirt outside so his upper body was the most affected by the icy mist. Ignoring the cold, the child felt soothed as the swaying fog cooled on his aggravated skin. Ame's back completely ached now that the burning sensation wasn't distracting him anymore. Trying to overlook the throbbing of his body, he focused instead on the strange reaction he had during the punishment.

Raising a hand to inspect it, Ame looked on curiously at his now sharpened nails. He watched fascinated as they shrunk back, almost as if retracting, into the fingers and returned to normal.

Ame paused and tried to call upon that strange heat again. Concentrating on the feeling he felt before in his abdomen, he struggled until beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Ame didn't exactly know what he was trying to draw out. Sighing, he let his mind slip away into unawareness as his tired and broken body was already drained from before.

As Ame was falling asleep, the boy felt a dark gripping hole in his chest; somewhat like a hollow numbing effect. Out of nowhere, the child felt a sudden craving for love. Any kind was all he needed to satisfy himself. The inwardly vulnerable four year old was starved for that kind of attention, and it was in times like these he wished he had someone to turn to.

Miya was the more affectionate one of his caretakers. Although she treated him kindly enough, he couldn't ignore the fact that there were some bitter feelings between Ame and the two teenagers. They were often punished for his mistakes, even if it wasn't as severe as the ones he received.

Alone in the cell, with nobody watching, Ame allowed his defenses to fall. The child let his eyes shed silent tears in the dark, for he knew Blight wasn't watching to yell at him for it. He thought back to Minato and how he had cared for him so warmly; like he was really concerned for the boy's wellbeing. He decided that it was well worth the pain and punishments for being able to experience that sensation of being wanted.

The child let his imagination that him back to that warm hold he had woken up in this morning, and felt at ease; if only slightly. Ame fell asleep soon after, exhausted and and fatigued.

* * *

Waking up several hours later by a banging on his prison bars, the boy tried to sit up, but his back was extremely stiff from the treatment yesterday.

"Come on come on, we don't have all day...get moving. I have many things for you to do this morning after our appointment." Blight unlocked the cell and brought Ame harshly to his feet.

Rubbing his eyes to clear them of grogginess, the blonde tried to keep pace with the swift stride's of his master.

"Where are we going?"

"To the central bazaars. Ijin wishes to meet with you, and i swear to god Ame if you tell him you went to the surface again..."

"I won't I won't...sheesh."

Yanking him up harshly at the rude behavior, Blight led them through the store and down the dark walkway that led to the center. Little glowing lanterns lined the path, suspended in the air by wire, and soon grew bigger as they got closer. Minutes later, Ame's sensative nose was attacked by the clashing scents of the incense, saturating the small city in perfume.

He sighed as they manuevered threw the large exotic crowds and past many large buildings and stalls, where the small child caught glimpses of the intriguing vendor bars. Showcasing their merchandise, he saw men selling wierd plant-like things and jewelry made of rare gems and crystals. There was another, he spotted, who had lumpy, slimy, organs displayed orderly on a blood soaked table. Another dealer had furs from many differnt animals; The most common being tiger and leapard skins as well as fox coats. He growled at the last one, but then pondered why as they went past it. He didn't necessarily like foxes.

Finally, they reached a large beat up looking building, with an entrance that had red, torn, curtains framing around it. They walked into the opening and were greeted by a dozen or so deranged looking ninja who had multiple scaring and dirty appearances. The place was lit by a large flaming pit in the center, with elegant looking furniture and red decorating thoughout it.

A voice spoke out from the large chair behind the pit, his face sheilded by the fire.

"Ah, Blight-sama...how are you doing this morning. And you've brought along little Ame as well, how wonderful!...Do please sit down." he signaled to the open space in front of him.

His charming dialouge was only kind in the words, for his voice held hints of venom within it, and his eyes bored into the two from behind the flickering flames with an insane grin. The thugs surrounding the room forced the boy and the owner into chairs before the leader. Looking at them in fear, Ame noticed some of the ninja carried deadly swords. Then he nervously looked at the various weapons that were scattered around the gang's hide out and gulped.

"Now then...lets have a little chat, shall we?" The haunting voice of Ijin broke his thoughts.

* * *

AN: Don't worry...now that i have this chapter clear, the next one should have more of Minato and Naruto interacting again...maybe. ;) I have to do the Underground scenes so that whenever Naruto escapes we feel a sense of freedom. like your coming out of a chlostrophobic room and entering a breezy meadow...or...something along those lines.

-Yes, in this story Naruto still has all of the powers the Kyuubi gives him naturally. Super healing, enhanced senses, and stamina...as well as random bursts of hatred and rage. hehe...I have something evil in mind for Blight, but you'll just have to wait. ;) He will get his, eventually.

-And there's Kiba , Shikamaru, and Choji! There will be even more of the rookie nine and other characters involoved in the story as it progresses.

-If you don't know what a cat O' nine tails is, it's a kind of whip that has nine long throngs attatched to it (usually made of rope or leather) that people used as a punishment device way back in history. I think it's still being used today, although its meaning has taken a sort of...sexual term. XD lol

-The next update will hopefully come out sooner and will cover many more different scenes. I hope nobody minds how long these chapters are turning out to be. One thing iv'e noticed about my writing style is that I tend to draw out many explanations and sequences. Most of the topics could probably be covered in a single sentence...and yet I turn them into paragraphs.

Oh well.

I hope that clears some things up, but other than that, I hope you enjoy!


	5. Festival of the Kyuubi

A.N. I'm sooooo sorry for the wait. I have nothing to say about it really other than I focused on my life more. Naruto will always be an obsession of mine along with the fascination I have with his and Minato's characters, but part of my absence was just me finishing high school and starting art college. So while I'm focusing more on my career path, I still eventually want to finish this damn thing. Getting onto the subject at hand, since it's been such a long time since I've updated, those of you who are caught up may just want to refresh your memory of the events leading up to this chapter. Like say, just re-read the last part of chapter 4 if it helps. Other than that, Holy Shit this is such a long chapter! Read at your own risk. Like seriously, it's 24 pages in Microsoft Word. ;A;

* * *

**Shadow of Rain**

Chapter 5

* * *

Ijin glared hatefully at the slave trader, as he casually began reciting a list of infractions.

"I hear we've had eighteen accounts of unprovoked murder down here within the last week. Do you know why that is Blight…?"

The man quietly shook his head, while sweating up a storm.

"Twelve of those were later discovered with fresh traces of pollen on their clothing. It's late summer up above and the conifers of the forest are in bloom. So now, what evidence does that tell me when the remaining six corpses also held currency from the Konoha markets? When a relative of one of the cadavers was brought in for…grilling, She finally relented that it was well know how your little one right here has been escaping onto the forbidden grounds and getting away with no charge."

Blight grew paler with each sentence and Ame had to steady his shoulders to keep from visibly shaking.

Ijin paused in his speech to take a long drag out of a roll that assaulted the child's nose in a way that was both pleasant and intoxicating.

"I do not know what kind of fool you take me for…"

"Ssir please, I reprimand the boy severely whenever we manage to get him back…but I-"

"However," Ijin continued abruptly, "the punishment will go to the one most deserving today. I will not have you and your intolerable insubordinations costing me what entire generations have sought to keep secret."

Ijin's strong deep voice caused the slaver to wince as Ame tried to back away beneath his master's legs. Almost abruptly, the leader vanished from his chair and reappeared behind Blight, causing Ame to yelp as he was snatched up off the floor by his underarms. Ijin held him at arm's length for a short minute, just staring, with bitter cobalt eyes that held no warmth. Then almost as suddenly, a smile broke out onto his face and he began to chuckle insanely.

"Now now…do not be afraid little demon. Ijin takes care of his innocents. It is not your fault your master is a sickly bastard with which we have no cure." He then held the boy to his side. At that range, the smoke from the man's weird cigarette blew up in a cloud around his head, making him feel light headed. Circling the camp the leader continued with his tirade while never breaking eye contact with Blight. As he neared the entrance he set the boy down who immediately bowed down to the floor; his heart pounding.

"Forgive me sir…I do not mean to cause you trouble. I do not know what I do." Ame pleaded.

"It is not you I am cross with boy. You're only four. Go on now and do your masters bidding while I have my way with him. Just remember that you are the reason there were so many deaths this week, in case you decide to take a little more sightseeing anytime soon…."

At his words, Ame merely nodded solemnly as he watched Ijin turned around and kick Blight in the shin.

"Well…your slave is waiting, ingrate."

Blight nodded and bowed as well, before turning towards the boy while pulling out a sheet of paper from his pocket.

"Wait for me at home, Ame…I need to discuss our travel plans for the next couple of weeks." He growled under his breath as their hands met while exchanging the note. Ame didn't once dare look up at him in the face. Once his master turned back around the boy barely had a second to register what was going on before a ninja standing guard grabbed him by the elbow and threw him out onto the streets. Shoppers quickly moved out of his way, but then kept on walking as the occurrence was just too ordinary for them to be bothered with.

Ame was silently praying to whatever gods existed for sparing him. He felt like he had come extremely close to harm or worse; especially since he swore he could smell blood in the room, although he didn't know if that was his mind playing tricks on him because of the smoke, or for the fact that there were black bags that looked too firm and tender to be holding trash hidden in the room.

Walking further away from the hideout, the boy turned to his list and inwardly groaned. He had to go around the various stores and collect a whole inventory of items used for Blight's annual trip to Suna. He was ecstatic that in a of couple weeks his master would be gone, and if he could disappear again then he wouldn't have to go on the treacherous journey. Ijin's warning meant nothing to him since he was determined to search out a better hiding place this time around. While thinking the night before, Ame had decided enough was enough. He wanted out, and he wasn't waiting for an arm to be chopped off, or impalement as his green light.

Looking back at the list, he cursed at the charge of each item. Money wasn't the cause for his concern. The only problem was the dealers down here were very stringent and cautious. When Blight said to _collect_, he subliminally meant to steal the goods. Money was too precious for it to be spent so willingly when men could easily send a slave to retrieve it.

While there weren't technically laws in the Underground, the merchants didn't want their valuable items to be counted in vain, so punishments if caught stealing were severe. If Ame wasn't careful, he could lose a hand or even an eye to the market.

The child strolled down the path into the drug sector. He chose to shadow behind the carriage of a traveler from what looked like mist country. Coming to a bar of drugs and exotic concoctions, he located the bag of "necessities for long travel" as his owner put it. In an act of pure perfection, he strolled by the bar, nabbed the bag filled with some sort of blueish herb, and hid it quickly in his pocket; all within the span of a few seconds and almost no movement to give him away.

Meandering through the many corridors and side streets, he had efficiently collected rope, cloth and rags for carrying items, a few poisons for whatever reason his master wanted them, some fruits and meats that had been preserved to last through dry climates, salts, water canteens, and finally for Blight's precious nicotine addiction, a hefty load of cigarettes. He stored all the goods in a pouch Ame picked up off the streets. It was perfectly fine except for a small tear along the opening.

_People are so picky these days to casually throw away a perfectly useful bag._

He shook his head and continued down the path he was walking until a severe headache made him pause. The pressure was directly behind his eyes and it was annoying.

"Stupid smoke…I hope he coughs a lung out next time."

The child, ignoring the migraine, quickly ran through the Market and made it to the outskirts of the Underground. The vast expanse of dark cavern that stretched out in front of him was intimidating. A lone, cold breeze made goose bumps form on his skin. Staying on the large path which was guided by lanterns, the boy made it back to the oppressive orphanage in good time.

He walked through the entrance and strode over to the candle lit table in the kitchen. Setting the pack of goods down, he skillfully went about preparing a plan for his next escape. As his body began to fill with adrenaline once more at the prospect of leaving, he went into the back room filled with all of the prison cells. Walking past all of the sleeping children, Ame saw that his caretakers were chained to the outside of their cell with an extended shackle; their chore was to mop the room that day. As soon as she saw him, Miya ran over to the boy and smacked him atop his head.

"Don't you ever do that to me again Ame, I swear you have to stop this!"

Clutching his head in annoyance, the blonde was about to refute when he caught sight of the teenager's agonized face.

"I don't care if it grants you freedom for a couple of hours, the pain of what Blight does to you isn't worth it."

Large tears had begun to well up in her emerald eyes causing guilt to seep into the four year old. But he had made up his mind about that fact awhile ago. He wouldn't let Blight treat him like some rabid animal waiting to die. Never mind the punishments; it was pointless to reflect on them.

"You're weak as it is you don't need these added beatings on top of everything. Look at you Ame…you look like you could drop dead any second." The girl pointed out.

As if only to prove Miya's point, the slashes on his back from yesterday lanced against his hot skin, caused by his sweat. Shiro walked up from behind Miya at that point and patted his shoulder.

"Aw, ignore her Ame…You need to keep going back up there. It's a haven compared to down here. But in a way, she's right though. Blight shouldn't make you work today, you look ready to faint."

"I'm fine nissan, really." Ame rubbed absently against his food deprived abdomen. "I would be careful around Blight today when he gets home though. Ijin got a hold of him, and he didn't look too happy."

"And guess whose fault that is." Miya glared.

Bowing his head, the child turned away from her. "I'm sorry…" he muttered quietly.

He heard Shiro sigh and saw him shake his head as a lone orphan in one of the cells started whimpering from hunger; the banging on the cage was unsettling. A silence reined in on the trio as a dark cloud that seemed to hover everywhere in the caverns settled in. The mist got cooler, signaling to Ame that twilight had fallen from above. Saying his goodbyes to his caretakers, he left without another word. Ame knew better than to tell them of his escape plans. It hurt him enough when he was alone to know that he was the cause of all the abuse on the two teenagers. In payback for his actions he always seemed to hurt the ones that were closest to him.

Sneaking out of the abode, Ame walked along the outside perimeter of the orphanage and began the ascent to Konoha by crawling over to a nearby rock wall and climbed. One at a time, he grasped the wet, slick rocks and made his way over to the opening near the top. Squeezing through the crevice that was only small enough for someone his size, Ame soon made it into the tunnel that led to freedom. He scanned the area quickly for movement as he poked his blonde head out. Sensing none and feeling the clean breath of fresh outside air, he hopped lightly up and out of the caves and into one of Konoha's dark alleyways.

Feeling rejuvenated once again, he ran solely in the black outlines of the walls to conceal himself and zigzagged expertly until he made it to the main streets up ahead. Coming out of the alleys, he saw the city lights and store lanterns illuminating the whole village. It was a big transformation from the daylight setting.

_I__ wonder __if__ Minato-sama __is__ here__ somewhere__…_he wondered idly._  
_

Ame thought about the man for a second and felt truly alone. Scared, he remembered that Blight would soon be heading back from an angry beating from Ijin's gang. Now wasn't the time to dawdle. Searching the area with a critical eye, the child found a nearby stable and settled into a warm den made of straw with a tired moan. The stallion inhabiting the place nickered softly at his presence, but otherwise ignored him. Sighing in content, his body ached from both the constant stress and the wounds on his body. He smiled happily though at the thought of his freedom. If he could keep from being detected for a few days, then Blight would have no choice but to leave for his trip. The black market's caravan set off only five times a year, so his owner couldn't afford to miss one. And nor, Ame thought happily, could he afford to send any ninja to catch him, for the cost of the trip was steep. The journey would last around a month or so giving him plenty of time to find a permanent solution to his troubles.

Curling up in a ball he fell softly into a restless sleep; filled with images of adventure and freedom. For the moment he knew that Shiro and Miya would be safe, for if Blight wanted them in good condition for the journey he wouldn't dare injure them this time.

He woke up later in the middle of the night covered in sweat and panting heavily. A pair of heated blood-red eyes kept staring at him in the darkness of his mind; burned into his retinas from the nightmare…

* * *

Jiraiya giggle perversely as he peeped through the small hole in the women's bathhouse; the steam of the surrounding water camouflaging his silhouette.

"Woo-boy I'm on a roll today" he snickered quietly to himself as he jotted down notes for his book. The old man had been nestled serenely in the trees overlooking the Spa while waiting for the day's crowd of ladies to file in, although he did enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the setting too. Once darkness had fallen and the stars began to glitter in the evening sky, the old sannin finally decided to call it quits. After the day's punishment of eternal pounding by Tsunade, he felt the need to rest for a minute…or a decade. She had not gone easy on him since the stampede of doom caused by Rin.

"Psh…it was the Brat's stupid mini-brats. I don't know why I even bother taking Obito with me; the boy has no giggle control." The white haired ninja shook his head in remembrance. He relished in the cool breeze that gently shook the trees nearby. Jiraiya stopped at a nearby bar before heading home in order to celebrate another day of research gone well. Making a toast with a fellow Shinobi, he gulped down the cup of sake. Smiling devilishly, he was about to down a second glass when he paused as his eyes caught sight of a heap of rubble across the street.

The debris was from the remains of the tower that had fallen in the attack five years ago, but had now been covered in a green moss and foliage. No one had bothered to remove the heap for many civilians began spreading rumors of an evil presence haunting the area. The people of Konoha, being an extremely superstitious lot, had since then abandoned the area to the elements. Jiraiya shuddered at the shadow the rocks and bricks were casting. It looked like an Oni; trying to claw out of the earth in escape.

Then the guilt set in.

He was supposed to have been there. If it weren't for him being late, searching a new lead on his missing teammate Orochimaru, then he could have stayed behind to supervise the sealing in the tower. He could've gotten Naruto out of there in time… but he was late. Jiraiya never forgave himself after looking upon his student's face in the hospital that night.

The sannin quickly downed his bottle of sake before finally heading home.

* * *

(Two Weeks Later)

* * *

The seasons of change had already begun to sweep across the Shinobi lands. Green faded into red and the earth became alive with activity. Fall had arrived, along with the cool climate that always accompanied October.

Ame felt exhilarated. After carefully concealing himself in the barn for the first several days, only creeping outside for scraps of food to eat, the child had effectively out-waited his master. He had been free now for the past week or so; beautifully and wondrously free. Blight should have been long gone by now; already trekking past the great deserts of Wind country. Ame was ecstatic and his joy was shown in the constant smile adorned on his face. Yet he was still as skinny as ever. There was the constant threat of renegades from down below; coming up to snatch him back into the darkness. The thought terrorized his psyche constantly. Now that he had his leash taken off, the four year old was on regular alert; Twitching at the slightest foreign movement; Spooking at the fairest sound that went past him. For all of his happiness, it was practically dwarfed by the stress of his panic-wrecked body. He had also developed a cough in the last couple of days that wouldn't go away. The fact that he could barely find any scraps of food in the nearby restaurants was not helping, as that was his only form of sustenance; that and the local river for as his water supply. Ame tolerated it though, for he would take all of these hardships than to suffer back in the depths of his former hell.

Walking cautiously along the tall reed grass of a lake, he made his way over onto a red bridge that was elegantly carved in an old oriental fashion. Sitting down on it, he let his tired legs hang over the side and dance above the water's surface. Ame let his features slacken then and just let his mind meditate. A cool breeze proceeded to sweep the blonde locks from his tanned face. The child let his senses roam as he listened to the sounds that the world offered. Bamboo water fountains, which were scattered artfully around the pond, gently echoed as they clunked against cool stone. Birds of all kinds chirped and called out into the midday skies. The water below sounded smooth as its current made the reeds sway back and forth. He could also hear the beautiful song of wind chimes on the various buildings nearby, as they quietly resonated against each other.

Opening his sparkling blue eyes, Ame marveled at the great sense of peace drifting through him. The forest surrounding the Hidden Leaf was still green because they were mostly pine trees, but the other types, such as the Aspen, had turned golden hues of red and yellow. It pained him to think that there were people trapped in the dark city below him who would likely never be able to behold such wonders.

Smiling despite himself, he stood up and headed for town. As he walked, he noticed the change that had suddenly appeared in the ninja capital. Decorative lanterns were being strung up over the city streets as well as ornamental paper sculptures of foxes. Parasols with oriental images of fire and golden cranes stood out in front of restaurants. Confetti and party strings were being popped and thrown by happy villagers; however, a select few, Ame noted, wore depressed and almost angry looks about them.

Ever curious, Ame wandered throughout town, taking in all of the fun looking festivities and stalls being put up. Passing through the street that led to the center of the village he halted as a great shadow seemed to engulf him. Looking up in awe, the child beheld the figure of a colossal fox statue; standing at least twenty feet tall. Its features were very detailed and carved into a furious, lethal snarl. Standing in for it's eyes were two gleaming rubies that glared dangerously at all who looked upon it. Yet perhaps the most fixating thing to the boy were the nine long tails that cascaded neatly behind it; moving like gyrating waterfalls as they twisted in different directions. Transfixed by the glorious site he nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand gently grasped his shoulder. However, he was stopped from escaping into the back alleys when he heard the kind voice that came from behind.

"Ame?"

Turning his head around slowly, the child looked up into the kind and caring blue eyes of his safe haven from before. Minato hovered over his small form with a surprised look about him. However, soon after seeing the child turn around, the hokage's face broke out into a full blown smile. A warm feeling spread throughout Ame's body as he saw the gesture was given to him.

"Mina!"

Without a second thought, all of his worries and stress emptied from his mind as he ran at the older man. The calm aura of protection that the hokage's presence gave off was too addictive to ignore for his weakened body. Laughing merrily, Minato leaned down on one knee and caught him before he was tackled. Giggling, Ame looked up and was awash in the feeling of nostalgia when nearly identical blue eyes gazed at one another. He smiled within the man's hold and moved closer to him as the hokage stood back up.

Ruffling his hair lightly, Minato beckoned for the child to walk along with him while also carefully observing the boy's appearance, remembering painfully the scars he knew lied beneath.

"You little punk...do you have any idea how worried you've made me these last few weeks?" the hokage inquired.

"Worried about whom?" chirped the four year old knowingly.

Chuckling softly, the man saw the upcoming crowd and grasped hold of Ame's hand; steering him clear of any obstacles that might separate them. He didn't notice the clouded look that had filled the child's eyes as he did so. Remembering the kindness that the man had given him before, the boy felt safe for the moment and tightened the grip on his large hand.

"Ame are you doing alright on your own?" Minato questioned him gently. "Where did you go when you left last time?"

The four year old knew that Blight was gone, and that the danger was mostly absent from him sending one of his men. Struggling to walk along in alignment with the other blonde's long steps, Ame contemplated his tangled thoughts. Blight may be gone, for now, but the Underground was still there, right beneath their feet. He didn't know if there were any ninjas that might be tracking him at this moment. He was scared and wanted a permanent escape from his master's hold. 

_Maybe__ Mina__ can__ help __me, __but __Ijin__ had __all__ those __guards__ with__ him __last__ time_. he pondered worriedly.

"I…went home." Ame eventually conceded.

Minato closed his eyes briefly and looked down at the child. Ame was sticking as close to him as possible that wasn't touching, excluding their hands. It was as if he was scared of the other people, and also still did not trust him completely. His face grew soft as he noted the dark shadows around his eyes, signifying exhaustion. Looking deeper, the older blonde saw scars of wounds he hadn't seen before, beginning to fade on his arms.

Anger then reared its ugly face up inside him. He wanted to pry the child for more answers, but painfully knew the sensitivity of the issue. Remembering a conversation he had with the Sandaime, Minato acknowledged the fact he had to address the boy calmly and carefully. He was also terrified of doing something that might make the boy run off to who knows where again.

"Ame…" he began carefully.

As if on cue, the four year old looked up at him and gave him the cutest puzzled face he had ever seen. The gorgeous, shining puppy eyes didn't help.

_Kami, entire Shinobi nations can't bring me down an inch, but show me that face again…. _

Sighing heavily, the kage ignored his paternal impulse to squeeze and embrace the child like a stuffed animal. He pulled him to a square in the village and sat down on a nearby bench. Minato observed how Ame stopped an arm's length away and avoided any more contact. Curious, he slowly raised his hand up to him as a test, pausing as the boy eyed it warily.

_He__ didn__'__t __mind __hugging__ me __before,__ but__ that__ was __a__ surprise __for__ both __of__ us__ I __think. __If__ he__'__s __normally __used__ to__ body __contact__ being__ harmful,__ then__ no__ wonder. _he pondered sadly.

Laying it on Ame's bony shoulder, he gave him a tender smile; showing him he wasn't a threat. "It's alright kid. You don't need to be afraid." Minato looked into the child's deep, sapphire eyes which were filled with anxiety, even when on the outside he acted somewhat composed. Rubbing his shoulder gently, he saw how he eventually began to relax.

"You don't have to be afraid…" he repeated. "I promise. Nothing and no one will hurt you on my watch…..as long as you stay with me this time, eh."

Ame locked eyes with him and his innocent blues searched for any hint of deception. Smiling inside, he once again found none, and seeing Minato's arms lean in, he allowed himself to be picked up and supported on his lap; proud of himself for resisting the temptation to flinch.

"Ame…I'm the hokage. I need to know the sort of crimes that go on in my village so I can help those most affected by them. Now your case…it's one of the worst kinds ever thought of by man…" Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Minato glanced at the child who was leaning into his body for warmth. Endeared, he began to stroke his sun kissed, downy hair when he felt the temperature of Ame's forehead accidentally. It felt painfully warm.

"Do you have a fever little one?" he asked gingerly, caressing the area.

"A bit…it's not too bad though."

Nodding in concern, the Yondaime continued carding his fingers through the blonde locks as he felt the boy sigh in content from his nurturing. "If someone is hurting you Ame, in any way, whether it be physically, verbally, or just plain neglecting you…" he saw how the boy winced at his words, but he talked on. "I need to know. Please, you can tell me."

He noted how solemn the child had become, so in an effort to ease his emotions, the elder blonde relaxed his posture and softened his voice. "This home of yours…if you don't mind me asking, but was it where you received the wounds we saw you in last time?"

"…yes."

Ame answered so softly that Minato had to strain his ears in order to catch the words. Nodding lightly, Minato held the child closer to him for protection. "And why, pray tell would you choose to go back to a home like that?"

Lulled by the gentle touch, Ame rested his head on Minato's shoulder.

"I don't have a choice…I'm…I'm owned by him you see…He has men hired to come find me if I break out for very long…and then I get beaten as punishment. And and…he brings me back every time so that's why I have so many scars…I try to run away, but he always finds me!" he rambled, feeling the emotions begin to build up within him. He felt tears prick the corner of his eyes, but forced them back in fear of their show of weakness.

"Wait...Wait…someone owns you?" Minato pulled Ame back so that their eyes met. "What do you mean…?"

He looked carefully at the boy, who held his gaze for awhile before breaking it and looking down. Saddened, he noticed the lone tear trail down the child's face.

"I can't…I'll get in trouble…"

His face going soft, Minato calmly kept his emotions in check and wiped the stray tear from his cheek. "It's ok…If you stay this time I can promise you'll have protection here. No one will get you or hurt you."

Gazing at each other, Ame lost connection with the world around him as he was absorbed in the warmth that those eyes held.

"What will happen if I do though? What if the ones who…well...what if they come after you too...?" the child whimpered.

Endeared, Minato smiled at some unsaid joke. "You don't have to worry about anyone beating me up kid. I can handle myself pretty well."

Cocking his head, the child merely gazed at him for a minute, contemplating. Eventually, the kage's patience won out, as acceptance came over the boy's face and he rubbed at his eyes to dry them.

"Fine, I'll say more, but don't tell anyone!" Ame finally stated, still obviously distraught. Continuing despite the hokage's questionable look, the child chose his words carefully. " I live with a man who has organized this shady orphanage . He's gone now to Suna, which is why you found me out here since I ran away again." Ame spoke quietly.

Waiting for the elder blonde's response was agonizing. The man simply stared at him with an increasingly worried brow, before finally seemingly to snap out of his daze.

"Of all the questions you just brought to my head, firstly I want to know why this man hurts you so and where he keeps you. This can't just be some random house in Konoha; the Military Police would have found out about it, or at least the ANBU if it's secretive." he spoke gently.

Looking away from his face, Ame began in an even quieter tone, "He hurts me because I run away all the time, like I said before. He doesn't like it when I escape. Says it gives the others bad ideas, so he punishes me each time I get back." Shuffling a bit out of nervousness, he then spoke, "As for where he's located…it's underground. Actually, it's called "The Underground" and it's a secret black market city." Ame muttered.

The child stiffened though as he saw the anger take over Minato's face.

"That place…" he murmured to himself angrily. "It's supposed to be just a rumor. Ame, where is it? Are you sure it's underneath _Konoha_?"

Sadly, the child held his tongue. "They'll kill me already for letting an outsider know the truth. I don't want to go back. Not ever!" he yelped, causing himself to shiver.

Fatherly instincts calming his rage, Minato eased away from the boy, but let one of his arms draw circles on the his back to soothe him. It worked, as the quivering soon stopped.

Ame dipped his head in shame. "I'm sorry...I just don't want to risk anything. It really is dangerous down there. The gangs would outnumber you." he pleaded.

Nodding his head, Minato spoke slowly and calmly. "It's alright Ame. I shouldn't have prodded so much. I appreciate what you've told me though, and you don't have to worry about anyone coming to hurt you." He shifted on the bench a bit while combing his long hair out of his face with a sigh. Then he asked the main question that was really concerning him. "Now you said earlier that this man owns you, but you can't mean that literally, right?"

The hokage's heartstrings tugged as he saw a look of complete defeat and shame form in Ame's face as he turned away from him.

"I'm his…...slave, though the real work usually goes to the older children." the four year old mumbled softly.

As the title exited the child's lips however, Minato felt his heart stop. He only just heard him as he continued. "My owner only pretends he runs an orphanage, when in reality, it's a slave trade that he's been running since who knows when."

Ame heard the sharp intake of breath from the other and couldn't look to meet his face. He waited for whatever reaction the man might take. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt a small pull on his chin and his head was gently tilted up to meet the man's eyes. The look of love he was met with was so pure that it made his breath catch.

In Minato's thoughts however, there was a maelstrom of emotions; a tortured mixture of wrath, anger, and helplessness. "How long…" he choked out.

Ame barely heard him speak. No one had ever looked at him like that before. It took the man's warm hand that softly cupped his whiskered cheek, to bring him down to earth. Clearing his thoughts, he carefully responded. "Since before I can remember. Miya and Shiro say that that's the way he obtains most of his captives. He abducts anyone who suits his purpose, which is just to make money. In my case, I was just an infant when he found me."

"Who does?" The Yondaime demanded. "What's his name?"

Looking past the older blonde, Ame decided to go ahead and take the plunge that would decide his fate in the Underground. "His name is…Blight …" he muttered darkly.

Minato was going to continue and ask for more details which were raging through his mind, but the pair were interrupted in their intense discussion by the loud sound of a firework booming high up above their heads.

The foreign sound scared the living daylights out of Ame, who had already been tense from their serious conversation. He jumped and dove into the space between Minato's coat and the bench, though half a second later his cheeks burned when he felt the tell-tale vibrations of laughter through the hokage's body. The man then stood up from the seat as thoughts of their discussion whirled in his mind. Noting that the time for serious talk was now thoroughly interrupted, he set the boy back on the ground, but made sure to keep him close to his side as they ventured back onto the streets.

"We're not done with this topic yet Ame, but I hope you enjoy this evening, for this is the start of the festival honoring the Kyuubi's defeat." Minato stated.

Confusion adorned the child's features as he looked on ahead. He had never heard of such an event. _Kyuubi..._ Ame tasted the name suspiciously._ I __wonder__ if __that __is__ what__ that__ nine-tailed__ statue__ was __all __about._

When they left the square and walked back on the main street, Minato felt the child tighten his grip around his hand. He thought forlornly on the information he had gained; _Slave traders...in my own village._ Not to mention the discovery of the Underground not being such a rumor after all. He would have to follow up with investigations of course. He wasn't one to simply take a four year old's words for one-hundred percent accuracy, but still. As he squeezed Ame's small hand in response, the elder blonde felt the nervousness in the child's gait as he traveled alongside him.

_I know nobody in their right mind would willingly go back to a home like that, and he seems like a smart boy... _

"When you left last month, you didn't go back home like you said you did, or at least not by yourself. Did you?'' he questioned gently.

Ame looked up at the Yondaime's face. He wasn't angry or mad…only...worried_?_ After having just told him all of his most dangerous secrets, the child had expected some kind of divine repercussion to happen as a result, yet the only thing occurring was their pleasant companionship as the evening wore on. Shaking his head in response, he gazed back down to the ground as he watched the dirt go by while they walked.

_Maybe__ this __is__ a__ sign __that__ I__ over__ think __things.__ Miya__ always __told__ me__ never __to __tell__ the__ truth__ since__ there__ would __most __likely __be__ spies __lurking__ about __to __catch __me. They did last time anyway..._

The warmth seeping into him from their close contact was making him drowsy, he noted absentmindedly, before finally answering Minato's question.

"No…Blight, the man I spoke of before, sent his men to come and get me."

"And these men...are they very rough with you?"

"Well, they're rogue ninja's, so they can get a bit carried away. That kunai you pulled from me before was from them." he responded as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. As Ame did so, he felt the elder blonde stiffen and curse vividly, while a cold energy washed over him - licking fire at his skin.

Minato stopped when he felt the child release his hand with a jerk, and then forced himself to calm down when he saw the nervous way Ame now regarded him. Heart clenching, the man decided that he had put the boy through enough. "Alright, I'm going to question you further about all this Underground business, but I can sense that this is a sensitive subject, so for now I'll drop it. Sound ok?" He sadly noted how the boy merely nodded in acceptance but refused to meet his eyes. He re-linked their hands anyway and continued to walk them down the street. "I didn't mean to scare you." Minato added quietly.

"It's ok. I just hadn't seen you angry before. You're like a tiger…."

Snorting at the title, the man looked up at the hokage tower as if in memory. "You're actually not the first to mention that to me kid. I really have to learn to keep my rage in check." he joked. "But what you probably felt just now was my chakra. I'm surprised a child as young as you could feel it."

Ame smiled at him but tilted his head at the foreign word. "What's chak-"

He wasn't able to get the full sentence out though, as the child's previous yawn had triggered his dry throat and he helplessly entered a coughing fit.

Alerted by the harsh sounds spreading throughout the child's weak frame, the hokage had a mild panic attack. "Ame? Hey, you ok?" The blonde dutifully kneeled down and pulled out his canteen as he forced the boy to drink, which he happily accepted. Looking around, Minato spotted a place where they could rest and have some privacy. Rubbing the smaller one's back to ease him, the Yondaime pulled the child to a local ramen stall, which was deserted due to all the activities outside. Ducking underneath the restaurant's banner, he sat down in a booth near the kitchen counter, and hefted the boy onto his lap.

"You're ok Ame. It's ok." He whispered softly, concerned as the coughs became quieter and shorter, but no less agonizing for him as the four year old clung fiercely to his flak jacket.

Ame was shivering from his very core; continuously taking gulps of water from the bottle Minato had offered. The coughing and burning had finally subsided and he felt his body being leaned back and a warm, white coat being wrapped around him. Sighing in content, Ame never wanted to move again. The steady breathing of his protector created a warm lullaby to the four year old. His body responded to the attention and he felt himself warming up considerably then from a moment ago. He merely nuzzled his head deeper into the crook of Minato's shoulder; his golden hair sweeping past skin. He then felt the man sigh heavily as he leaned them both against the back of the seats.

"You scared me there kid…I'll have Tsunade or Rin check you out when either of them becomes available. It's not safe for your health to be wandering outside in this chill."

The hokage then smoothed back the blonde locks from the child's head, exposing prominent cheek bones in his face. Observing his delicate features, Minato noted that Ame wasn't sallow looking like in some extreme cases of malnourishment, but the loss of baby fat left him looking far older. Caused by the dim lighting of the restaurant and the festival's lanterns outside, the boy appeared to have an ethereal, almost angelic quality about him. Ame's face had moved so that his chin now rested on the man's collarbone and his azure eyes looked past the hokage, observing the festival. Sighing heavily, the mesmeric eyes closed, and he felt the child's feverish head drop onto his neck, the spiky hair jutting out just beneath his jaw line. Minato merely held him comfortingly; drawing him in deeper into the warmth. Closing his own eyes, the elder blonde allowed himself a brief moment of reminiscence, where his mind unconsciously took him back to the chamber that night, now five years ago to the day.

…_Naruto _

Embracing the small body in his arms, he almost truly believed that catastrophe had never happened; that it was all just a long, nightmarish dream. He had hoped to delay the inevitable a little longer, and he had succeeded to an extent upon finding Ame again, but now the festival's true meaning started seeping into his mind like a poison. Everywhere he looked he saw the devil incarnate, carved into every precipice and building that he saw. That fox, whose nine lengthy tails swayed in the dimming light followed him everywhere; mocking him at his failed attempt to save his family. The large stone statue, erected in the center of the village, was terrifyingly realistic in Minato's point of view.

Currently, it was being built into a colossal bonfire as the villagers had started a tradition the first anniversary after the event. They created a barrier around the statue with stones brought from one of fire countries numerous volcanoes and purified through an exorcising ritual. The rock kept the straw, stakes, gasoline and other flammables within the statue's contact, ensuring that it would burn and not escape. The purification of them was what really mattered to the villagers though, for they believed that it kept evil spirits from escaping once the demon started to burn. Once ignited, the fire leapt and snaked its way around the stone which made it glow an incandescent red. The statue never melted; ordinary flames were no match for it. The spectacle was a truly scary sight, but he would be damned before admitting it.

Minato often wondered why the ninetails hadn't escaped if his child had really been killed that night. That one vital clue had him hard pressed in admitting Naruto's death in the beginning, but afterwards, he could only hope for so long. Without proper care and nurturing, an infant that young would have died in a matter of days. Part of the reason the search had stayed open for so long was in case a fellow parent who had lost their child the same night might have picked up his baby on accident. However, months after the attack, not one person had come forward that could give him any answers. When Sarutobi eventually called off the six month long search, he did it not only so the ninja could start healing their lives, but also to keep Minato's sanity from disintegrating completely.

However, upon sitting here with the small, abused orphan that had randomly come into his life, a new thought began to enter his mind. One that gave him the tiniest kindle of hope; a severe and problematic emotion that tended to plague him painfully. 

_Ame __said __that__ he __was __just__ an __infant __when __Blight__ found__ him,__ and __he__'__s __only__ around__ four-years __old, __or__ so __he__ thinks.__ There __is __also __his __freaking __hair.__ No __one __else__ I__'__ve__ encountered __has__ my __type__ of__ hair __unless __I__ go__ to __the __Northern__ boundaries. _he pondered, somewhat ashamed. Jiraiya had warned him not to get too obsessed with such conspiracies, but this one time, he couldn't help but feel some kind of pull to keep asking these questions and to keep looking deeper. Perhaps it was in the boy's eyes, which despite looking so much like his own in hue, held an eerie familiar shape to that of Kushina.

Absently, the hokage began rubbing Ame's stomach. Minato almost swore he felt a feint, dark vibration, humming from within, which caused his heart to suddenly pound with duel emotions of excitement and trepidation, however, he couldn't help but laugh at himself though for not even a second later the child's abdomen gave a loud growl in protest from hunger.

Tousling the boy's hair, Minato continued chuckling at the scowl now on Ame's small, embarrassed face. The four year olds attention shifted however when he caught a whiff of the mouth watering scents, now coming from behind the countertop. Rising up on his knees, he looked over the counter and observed steam coming from the back room with a stove and boiling pots cooking atop them.

Minato looked over his head at whatever had caught his attention and grinned. "Sit tight little one, you'll be fed soon enough." Leaning back to relax against the back of the chair, the man noted how the child looked longingly at the food in the distance. He was also dwelling over his conflicting thoughts about the child's origins.

"I'll take care of you from now on, ok Ame?" he began, startling himself at his bravery to voice what he really wanted, despite Jiraiya's warnings. He knew his sensei had good intentions at heart, but in dealing with such a personal issue, only Minato would be able to tell if this was truly a good decision or not. "You don't have to suffer any longer." he continued.

Finally looking back from the food, Ame tilted his head; his radiant eyes, bluer than Morning Glories, gazed cautiously at him. "You mean you'll stay with me in the barn? Omff!" He was cut off as Minato covered his mouth in good humor.

"I don't want to even know why you just thought that. Of course you'll be staying with me, as long as your comfortable with that. After some proper care, I think I can bring you back to a healthy point, and I seriously just don't trust anyone else with you, so what say you on that option?" The Yondaime could only smile as the boy beamed at him, his eyes blazing in the setting sun behind them.

"You mean it?" the child asked hopefully

"You're unquestionably endearing Ame. Even if I could say no, which I can't, it would be the very blackest kind of deed to send you back on your own, regardless if it was even to an orphanage."

The excitement in the boy's eyes reminded Minato of times when he was younger. Of what the simple promise of a warm and loving home felt like after a long day in the village. His memories were interrupted as he was lightly tackle-hugged by the younger blonde. "Thank you, Mina…"

The elder blonde smiled as he held him close, and was reminded again of the child's state when another growl escaped from his stomach. Smirking at the look on his face, the hokage brought him down into a sitting position on his lap.

"Do you know what living with me requires Ame?"

Upon shaking his head, Minato answered the boy enthusiastically."RAMEN!"

The random outburst caused him to giggle. The four year old then heard a distinct laughter coming from behind and saw an older looking man walk out from behind the back room of the restaurant. He wore a white outfit suitable for a kitchen setting and had on a friendly look on his face.

"I see you've taken hold of a captive this time around, eh hokage-sama." The man spoke to the older blonde.

"Hey, It's not my fault. Your recipes are too good for me to share alone. Besides, we were nearby and it seemed like a good time to escape from the crowds." Minato grinned. "Ame, this here is Teuchi-san, the greatest ramen chef to have ever graced the land!"

"Wow, really!" The child's eyes lit up at the sight of the chef, who merely shrugged in response.

"I wouldn't say out of the entire land…"

"Nonsense…"Minato countered. "I'm still trying my best to get Sarutobi to agree in giving you a bigger fund. You could expand your business and make so many more ramen-addicts worship the ground you walk on." Crying pitifully…the hokage lowered his head in shame. "But alas my good man, he will not give in. I still can't get him to try your stuff; even a small little bite. He's afraid there's something in it that makes people bipolar." Laughing, Ame watched the vast expressions dance across the hokage's face.

Teuchi set up a pot of boiling water on the stove closest to them, smiling serenely. "So then Hokage-sama, what shall I get for you and the little one today."

"The usual for me, and um…Ame what's your favorite type of ramen?"

Leaning back into the man's lap, Ame looked up above and hunched his shoulders. "I don't know...I've never had any before."

A startled gasp escaped the older of the two. "N-never had ramen…my poor boy. You must be in complete denial! One large bowl of Miso for you then. I think that should fill you up."

Ame watched as the ramen chef nodded his head and set into the kitchen preparing their food. The child gazed, fascinated, as he ground and kneaded a lump of floury dough and twirled it into dozens of thin noodles. Twisting the strands perfectly, he set them in the hot water to cook and went about mixing in different ingredients. It all took but a couple of minutes.

Ame laughed, amused, as he heard Minato muttering to himself. "…never had ramen. Damn that Blight to a fiery hell"

"Agreed…" the child added, causing the hokage to snort.

Minato pushed the thoughts from his head though as he leaned to stretch his back against the seat, earning a couple of cracks. The sound was unusual to the four-year old, who curiously inspected the older man's torso where it came from. Putting an ear next to his ribcage, he listened intently for the same sound.

"Ame…what are you doing?" Minato tried to say between laughs.

"It sounded like you broke something."

The child's seriousness caused the man to laugh heartily. "I swear, who needs entertainment when I've got you around."

"Ah, I know what you mean. Children are a great comfort in old age...but they also help you reach it faster, too." remarked the chef from behind the counter, which caused the Yondaime to smile, greatly amused.

Ame, not getting the joke, had turned around as the old man began to speak and saw that the two bowls of ramen they had ordered were now sitting in front of them. He noted absently that Teuchi was anxiously waiting off to the side for Ame's first taste. Breaking apart a pair of chopsticks, the hokage gathered together a bite from the bowl in front of him and held it out in front of Ame's mouth.

"Here you go kid, a taste of the heaven's lies mere inches before you." Wanting to get out of the tense atmosphere that had taken hold of the restaurant, Ame shifted forward and carefully bit off the sample of noodles that Minato had offered. As the ramen touched his tongue, the evenly blended amount of salts and herbs mixed in with miso flavoring exploded on his taste buds. When he finished chewing he sat there motionless for a little more than a second before grabbing the chopsticks and diving into his own bowl like a ravenous wolf.

"Aaha! Looks like you got another winner there old man!"

"As long as the customer is pleased then I am content with my life." the chef said. Smiling wickedly to himself as he glanced at the indulging child, the old man turned around then and went about his various other duties in the restaurant.

Minato smiled and set into his ramen alongside the boy, pausing only to glance sideways out of reflex at the soft thundering of small fireworks being set off in the distance.

Ame was only listening to them halfheartedly since they weren't too loud. After a peaceful couple of minutes spent eating, the last remnants of the bowl began to drain, which he happily gobbled up. His empty hunger pains having subsided, the boy felt a wholeness settle into his being that he hadn't felt in a long time. The warmth made him drowsy, and he figured it would be a safe gesture to lean back against his protector. As the he did though, a larger firework went off in the air nearby, releasing a thunderous explosion that the child could feel rumble through his body. The sound startled him and he jumped sharply, backing into the elder blonde's chest. Chuckling warmly at his plight, Minato began to gently stroke down Ame's spiky hair, calming him from the sharp noise that had scared him.

"There's no need to be afraid Ame. I know they're loud, but they always go off safely away from us in the sky."

Upon hearing his words, the boy peeked out from over his shoulder and gazed at the heavens, which were now filled with stars in the purple haze of dusk. He heard another loud boom, but this time he watched in amazement as the sky became alive with multicolored sparks and brilliant shaped explosions of dust. The power he felt as they detonated in the sky was exhilarating now that he was able to see what was causing the noise. Feeling slightly braver, he gently heaved himself off of Minato's lap and once back on the ground walked a little ways over to the edge of the open restaurant to see them more clearly. He faintly heard Minato set down his own empty bowl before conversing with the old chef once more. After several minutes went by, his star gazing was interrupted when he felt the other's hand grasp his as the hokage joined him near the entrance. Together, the two then exited the ramen stall and ventured into the streets, which were jam packed full of festive civilians.

It became a bit tiresome to the child after awhile, since Minato was stopped quite frequently from friendly greetings by the villagers who where constantly gushing praises towards him. After the umpteenth group of people had ventured away from the kage in the past ten minutes, Minato hurriedly brought the boy along a less crowded, scenic route next to a river path which was lined with graceful willow trees.

"Where are we going?" Ame questioned after awhile, making sure to stick close to the elder blonde despite the passing of the dense crowd. He noticed that they were subtly leaving the main section of the village into a more rural area.

"Well I told you I would let you experience the festival right? The main firework show starts in around ten minutes or so. Did you get enough to eat though?"

"Yes…thank you! I've never had anything so good."

His remark made the man grin mischievously.

"Just you wait. That was only one type of flavor. When I'm done with you there won't be a word to describe its deliciousness; But enough of that. How's your head feeling?" Minato then crouched down to his level and felt the child's forehead with the back of his hand.

"…it feels hotter." He murmured worriedly. "I hope you're not getting sick."

"I feel fine, really. It's just a dull ache now." The boy answered. It was then that he noticed the brilliant fire in the sky behind them. The sun had set almost completely now, but the last rays of its golden-red color still painted the atmosphere from its point behind the mountains. The tint changed everything around it to match; casting glorious shades of red and orange on the buildings and the people. The shadows created by the fading light were stretching farther out, enveloping all that they touched in darkness.

"Wow…" he breathed softly.

Looking up at his words, Minato nodded his head serenely. "Beautiful isn't it. Sunsets in the Land of Fire are always gorgeous, however I may be a bit biased. Come on now...I have a place in mind that will grant us a nice view of the show." The man then led Ame through the winding streets of the village. Once they got to the base of the hokage monument, Minato leaned down and faced the boy once more. "Alright, I'm just going to shimmy us up this wall since my house is above the monument, and it has the best views in all the village."

Ame nodded, excited, and allowed himself to be lifted again into the man's arms. He tensed for a moment though as he felt the elder blonde gather a familiar energy in his veins that made his skin tingle. Then the child yelled in delight as they were whisked up the mountain by the hokage's great speed and was startled as he saw the giant features of former hokage's rushing past him. The wind blowing past his face caused his eyes to water, but no sooner had they started he found that Minato had carried them to the top already. Looking around in amazement, he observed the vast forest stretching along the great plateau that the mountain created and marveled at how large it was as the trees wrapped around the sides, engulfing all directions in a vast expanse of greenery. Focusing back on the village, he was a bit nervous about how high up they were though. The breeze was much more pronounced now and the child began to feel the dip in the air chill as the sun finally went completely down in the horizon, marking the start of nightfall.

As he set the boy back down, the kage felt endeared at how the small child now clung to his side for security, a great difference from the nervous energy he had exuded upon first meeting him earlier in the afternoon. Leading Ame over to where his own face was carved into the mountain, Minato settled them both down on the grass by the edge; their legs dangling over the side of the cliff.

"Now, I know it's getting really cold, but the show should be starting any-!"

A sharp whistle in the air interrupted his speech and Ame watched in fascination as a small red flare went up higher into the sky than he thought possible, where it then thundered into an explosion of stars and colors. The force of the blast made his breathe hitch. Then one after another, the fireworks continued shooting up into the sky around them; each exploding and booming so loudly and colorfully that the child felt enraptured and scared at the same time, but unable to look away. He felt Minato's arm wrap around his shoulder and welcomed the secure feeling that followed.

The spectacle lasted a couple of minutes before eventually erupting into a final cacophony of explosions. At that point it seemed like hundreds of large fireworks were being fired into the sky all at once. Then after the largest sparks went off and everything stopped, Ame marveled at the deep thunderclaps echoing off the terrain as the heavens finally went dark. Not even a couple seconds later, the huge cheering and applause from the crowd below soon made up for the silence.

Ame then started laughing uncontrollably as his mind still tried to process the event he just witnessed.

"That was so awesome!" he cheered, feeling his cheeks spread wide to contain his smile.

"I'm glad you that you enjoyed it." Minato grinned at him, ruffling his hair. He then stood up as the applause eventually died down from below. "Alright little one, it's getting late. Let's head home now and find out where you'll be sleeping." Leading the youngster by the hand, the elder blonde headed over towards a trail that led into the forest.

After his exhilaration from the show began to fade, Ame started to feel nervous for a whole different reason than before. He was happy and appreciative of Minato's offer for a home, but now he was beginning to wonder if he was truly worthy of such a prize. _What__ if__ he __finds __out __that__ he__ doesn__'__t __like__ me __and__ kicks__ me__ out,__ or __what __if __I__ accidentally__ make__ him __angry_. he worried. Ame knew that the hokage was kind, and he also knew that he shouldn't be so stressful, but he honestly couldn't help it. Too many adults had let him down in his life. He wasn't about to just let all the steel he had erected around his heart come crashing down due to one person.

There were also the sayings that adults in the Underground constantly told children, as well as what Blight told Ame directly almost on a daily basis. "_You__'__re__ worthless.__ No __one __would __ever__ want __to __adopt__ you._" "_Who__ could __ever __love __a __street __rat__; __parents__ want __nice __clean__ children. __Not__ skinny __little __rats__ with __baggage__ in __their__ hearts._"

The thoughts wouldn't stop. He felt that he was smart enough to tell if an adult was going to hurt him based on their body language and expressions, as well as if the growling in his mind ever started up, and so far Minato hadn't done anything that could even hint at an aggressive disposition towards children, but then again, he hadn't known him that long at all. _He__'__s __kind __and__ you__ know __it.__ Such__ a__ pure __heart__ should __deserve __a __respectable__ child__ as__ offspring.__ Not __some __demon__..__._ he heard his subconscious mimic the words of Blight. Wilting at his dark thoughts, Ame had to agree with them. He felt dirty. Dirty and tainted at the things that had been done to him in the Underground. Shutting his mind at the memories he knew would surface, the boy simply began to focus on the forest around them and the feeling of hope that Minato offered. He noted curiously that he saw some lights up ahead through the trees.

After a couple of minutes, the two had made it to the edge of the small path which entered into a clearing with a large, and beautifully decorated house in the center. Ame had to contain himself so he wouldn't gasp out loud. The architecture of the house was gorgeous as it was built in a classical, oriental fashion with the dominant and elegantly slanted roof tiles. Beautifully carved columns lined the patio area which wrapped around the entire house, and a serene garden was built around the majority of the property, with bamboo fountains, koi ponds, decorative lamps, and even a small river inhabiting it. Along the borders of the clearing were large patches of bamboo, that fit in beautifully with the other trees, such as the red maples, willow, and cherry blossoms. It was the most peaceful and tranquil place he had ever encountered.

"This is all yours?" the child asked him, dumbfounded.

Chuckling at his wide-eyed expression, the Yondaime nodded and led him through an elegant gateway towards the entrance of the house, which upon further notice, Ame saw had a lovely coloring style, as the columns, walls, and floor panels were all a deep red hue with accents of black and tan. Once they had climbed the front stairs and went through the large doorway, he had to take another breath to stifle his gasp again. The interior was alive with numerous plants and decorative Japanese sliding doors. While the outside was a regal red and black coloring, the inside was a more tranquil off-white color, which was complimented by all the greens from the plants. He noticed a large kitchen and living room area first, followed by a large staircase leading up to a bunch of other rooms. Ame then found his manners as he copied Minato in sliding his shoes off.

"I know I have an extra pair of slippers around here somewhere that you can use. However, they might be just a bit big for you."

"My feet are dirty though…" he complained softly.

"Hey, they're just slippers. It's alright." the man calmly explained. "Besides, when we next get the chance, I'm going to take you into to town so we can find some appropriate supplies for you. Clothes, shoes, etc...Now, I don't mean to offend, but the sandals you have now…well…I wouldn't really call them sandals. They're more like flat pieces of paper." he mentioned sadly. "Is this really all you've ever worn?"

At the child's nod, the man felt bad about ever having complained about dirty shoes on a mission. _At __least __they__ kept __me __from __feeling__ the __rocky __ground,__ unlike__ what __these__ things __could__ ever__ do__… _he thought depressed. After having found Kushina's old slippers for Ame to use, which sent another pang through his heart, he guided the nervous child through the house to give a tour.

"Alright little one, I know this may be new for you since I'm not sure what kind of house that orphanage was like, but this is my home; a relaxing escape from the village since I'm there so much. The living room is the biggest area since it's where I usually host guests and such. Then over here is the kitchen which is where meals take place. In the back are more spaces; one I use as a training area and another as a private study and library. There are also various entrances to the garden and backyard through there, but the main entrance is the one we just came through." Then he turned around and lead the bewildered child up the stairs. "The first door you see is my second study which is more open to the public, and along the walls are numerous guest rooms which I don't really use since they're often randomly occupied" he then brought the child closer towards the end of the hallway which lead to two large doors that were adjacent to each other. "This on the left is my room but the one you'll be staying in is on the right."

As the elder blonde opened the door, the child nervously followed his heel. Upon gazing at the interior though, he felt a wave of confusion hit him. The bedroom was perfect for a child, with cerulean blue walls and large stuffed animals in one corner. A crib had been disassembled and put against the back wall but right beside it was a large, comfy looking bed. There were also numerous shelves with scrolls and toys lining it. A separate door led to a large bathroom which, to Ame's glorious delight, held a large bathtub and shower. Minato stayed by the entrance while Ame proceeded to explore the area. Walking around, he first stopped by the bed, which he ran a hand over.

"It's so soft…" the child murmured warmly, which caused the hokage to smile sadly.

Minato, who hadn't opened this room in years, was apprehensive about going in. However, he soon focused on Ame who amused him by walking around in wonder of everything. Controlling his emotions with a firm hold, the elder blonde entered the bedroom and joined the child over by the stuffed animals. The boy was currently holding up a stuffed frog, which he seemed to find fascinating.

"Do you like it? The room I mean, as I hope it isn't too oppressive." he stated.

"It's wonderful Mina!" the child beamed, causing the man's heart to flutter.

"It's yours then." he stated, causing the four year old to pause and look up at him with a baffled expression. Chuckling at him, Minato went over to the open bathroom. "I'm going to go start a bath for you, ok? I think it would be best to clean you up and get you warm since I don't know how long you've been exposed outside. I remember you saying that Blight left weeks ago, which makes me hope that you haven't been wrestling with the elements for that whole time."

The boy didn't say anything tough. He still just continued to look up at him in wonder.

As the kage walked into the large, white-tiled area and knelt against the edge of the tub, he felt the child walk in with him. Turning on the water, Minato waited patiently as the tub began to fill. Then he turned towards the boy who was standing close; just calmly observing his actions.

"I know things may seem a bit awkward at first, but I hope you become adjusted soon. I've dealt with a couple of orphan cases before for some clients, and even though it wasn't ever personal for me then, I noticed how the children never seemed to fully accept the adult in the beginning. If I ever make you uncomfortable or nervous Ame, just let me know, ok. I would really appreciate it, as I have no idea what your boundaries are." Minato warmly explained.

The boy looked into his face then with an expression the hokage couldn't put a name to. Ducking his head after awhile, the child also began to worry his lip, a recognizable nervous gesture. After seeming to debate with himself, the child then looked up into the elder blonde's face again and spoke. "Are you sure you want me to stay with you. I bet there are other orphanages here that would take me and help you find a kid more…more, healthy." he stated softly.

His words made the Yondaime frown. "Ame, why would I care about something as superficial as that? I'm not the type to be picky about which child deserves more need than another, but from you're question, I can begin to see what types of adult you've had to deal with." Minato let out a large sigh in contempt for the man who had come to harm Ame in such deep ways. "I can also see that you need extra care and affection, and will gladly provide that for you. I don't mind." he continued softly.

"How long do you plan to keep me though? I'm afraid of getting too comfortable because I don't want to settle down just to be thrown back outside. I've never had a permanent place before." he rambled, feeling his emotions start to rise.

The Yondaime chose his words very carefully and spoke with a determination that the child could literally feel. "I'm not just going to become your friend and then cast you out of my life little one. That would be an awful thing to do." Then turning around to stop the running water from overflowing, the man pulled the child in between his legs so that he was sheltered against his whole frame. Looking down for a minute to organize his thoughts, Minato then glanced up at the small child warmly. "I don't know what a promise really means to you, because the things you must have seen will no doubt make you untrustworthy of adults. Despite this Ame, I promise that I will never ever harm you in anyway. If I do, you tell me, ok? Because there may be things that you don't like which I may try to make you do, or various other instances. You are absolutely free to speak your mind and don't be afraid to let me know your thoughts and feelings, alright?"

"I have so much baggage though…how could you want someone like that." the child muttered sadly, feeling tears begin to rise. "and I'm nothing but a street rat; some dirty, worthless little- " he was interrupted though, as the hokage brought him into a crushing hug.

"Ame stop…" Minato softly whimpered, feeling the child begin to cry. "You can't think of yourself like that. Everything's going to be ok." He then gently leaned back a little and looked at the crying mess in his arms. His heart breaking, the elder blonde moved his forehead to rest against the others; calming the child significantly due to the simple act of tenderness. "You'll be ok." he spoke reassuringly.

The two stayed like that for awhile; one for support and the other as a pillar. Finally, when Minato deemed the youngster relaxed, he gently removed his head and told him to undress. The boy nodded and began to strip off his shirt and shorts. When he was finally in the hot water, he let out a deep sigh which caused the hokage to smile, despite himself. Leaving the room briefly to fetch some soap and hair products, Minato returned and began to scrub away at the dirt and various scratches that had accumulated on the child's exposed skin. "I don't know about you, but I'm having a sense of deja-vu here." the man joked, causing Ame to giggle. After getting him all clean and his hair washed, the hokage let him rest alone in the tub for half an hour before coming back to drain the bath and wrap him in a warm towel. When the two were back in the bedroom, Ame hopped onto the bed while he passively watched Minato look though some drawers for pajamas that would fit him.

"We actually should have shopped for you before coming here, as I'll be amazed to find even one piece of clothing that will fit you."

However, not even a moment later he had at least found a small shirt and shorts that were supposed to be for a toddler but due to Ame's malnourished state would end up fitting him fine. Finding some boxers for the boy to wear as well, the blonde was finally able to dress the child appropriately. He was still horrified at seeing the state his body was in though, as Ame's ribcage practically poked out of his body when the child stretched to put the shirt on. The scars were also much more apparent than when he remembered them last time, especially on his back. 

_Did__ they __whip __him__ or__ something__? T__hose__ scars __look__ so__ distinct._ the elder blonde thought forlornly.

As a last thought, Minato quickly went downstairs to get some warm milk and medicine. When he returned to the bedroom he found Ame nestled in a ball by the pillows on the bed. Warmed by the sight, he hated himself briefly for having to wake the exhausted child.

"Here kid, these pills will help with the headache and any fever you might have. I also brought you a glass of milk to help you sleep, but I don't think you need the help." he chuckled..

Regardless, the child swallowed the pills as commanded and practically chugged the entire glass within a couple of gulps. Sighing as he was finished he giggled lightly at the hokage's expression and handed back the cup.

"Thanks Mina. For everything…I don't know how I can ever repay you." Ame spoke softly.

Smiling at him, Minato gently picked the child up so that he could pull down the covers of the bed and then tucked in his small body so that he would stay warm throughout the night. He watched contently as the boy burrowed into the mess of blankets surrounding him and sighed.

"You don't ever have to repay me Ame. I just want you to be happy and for you to have the chance at a normal life. I don't know how you've survived for so long in such conditions." the hokage stated sadly. The man then turned on a soft nightlight on by the floor and returned to his bedside.

"Now, you can sleep for as long as your little heart desires, ok?"

He received a heartwarming beam in response.

"If you need to go to the bathroom, it's right over there where you had your bath, and if you wake up and need me for anything at all, you'll be able to find me either in my own bedroom or one of my studies. I'll be working at home this first week with you here in order to better acclimatize you to the situation." Smoothing over the covers on his body, the elder blonde continued to reassure the child. "Remember Ame, if you ever feel uncomfortable for whatever reason, you come talk to me. If you get hungry or need something, come and get me. That's what I'm for. You don't ever have to feel intimidated or feel like you're inconveniencing me, because you won't be. And as a final thought, don't you dare think that you're not worthy of being cared for. I don't care what that man has told you or what kinds of things you've experienced; every child deserves a chance at happiness. I'm going to try my best for you kid. I promise." he stated lovingly.

Ame just held his gaze throughout his speech; not once breaking eye contact. He honestly didn't know how to respond. The emotions swirling through him were making his heart ache. Finally thinking clearly enough to respond, he merely held Minato's hand and smiled at him.

"Thank you." he stated quietly.

Minato returned his smile gratefully. Then he smoothed back the child's spiky locks and got up to head over to his own room. Before leaving he turned around and observed the blonde head poking out of the covers. He felt an odd sense of irony in that, since this was, after all, Naruto's room. His thoughts buzzing around due to his damn conspiracy theories again, the hokage turned off the overhead light, which cast the room in a tranquil violet ambiance from the nightlight. "Good night Ame."

"Night, Mina." the child sleepily replied.

Smiling to himself, the kage then went to his own room, changed quickly, and finally sank down into a peaceful sleep; the first one in years that didn't plague him with thoughts of his lost wife and son.

In the other room, Ame stared off into space as he thought about the past events. The child eventually ran out of ideas as he tried to come up with any reason at all to be afraid. He didn't _want_ to think Minato was a bad person, but he just didn't want to have to face the consequences of being let down again.

Thinking back, the mysterious, growling presence in his mind hadn't uttered a single peep upon meeting the man earlier today, which was a good sign. He also recollected the way the man had embraced him and the little gestures of compassion that he made unconsciously, which told the child everything he needed to know.

_He __actually__ cares __about__ me_. Ame thought happily. _An __actual __home __up__on__ the__ surface.__ No__ more __Blight, __or __Ijin,__ or __Miya__ and __her __cruel__ lectures. No more Blight__ or__ Shiro__ with__ his__ heartless __pranks.__ No __more__ darkness__ or__ grimy__ caves.__ No__ more__ Blight__...…__.no __more__ Blight__…_ he said to himself in the silence.

The thoughts made his heart giddy with happiness. Even though he knew Miya and Shiro had cared for him since his infancy, they weren't the happiest of "parents." Thinking of them, he eventually came to the epiphany that today had been his birthday. He was now five years old. A bit upset at having forgotten, he soon comforted himself with the fact that he had gained a present that nothing on Earth could beat. A blissful sleep soon took him; one that healed his exhaustion and his worries with dreams of a happy life in Konoha with the one man who had taken it upon himself to actually care about him.

He had a home now...

* * *

A.N. To whoever was able to finish this beastly chapter, I applaud you. :3

-I kind of liked the idea of the villagers erecting a giant statue of the fox to commemorate it, since Yondy was able to stop it before too many casualties happened. It's kinda like the bull statue in Spain. (even though I'm pretty sure that didn't have a horrific event behind it) To imagine the size that I came up with for Kyuubi's statue, just google "20 feet tall" and you'll see things like a T-Rex, giant inflatable castles, etc…Why did I google something supposedly simple like that? (b/c I can't do math…...that's why...) -.-

-Also, I hope my adoption of Ame by Minato wasn't too sudden. There's no formal way to do something like that to a homeless(ish) kid that I thought of. Or maybe I'm just dumb. idk. I try to write scenes the way I feel like they would be done in real life. Now of course if this was a real adoption from a legit orphanage there would be dozens of meetings and papers to sign etc...but this is Konoha so shut up. (ilu I'm just kidding!)

-If you have any questions or critiques, feel free to write them; just be aware that my writing style has probably changed from three years ago. You'll probably be able to tell since halfway through this chapter is when I suddenly got into a writing frenzy a couple of days ago and finally finished it.

Now, I honestly have NO IDEA how long it will take me to get the next chapter out, so don't hold you're breathe. You will die. Very quickly I might add. However, this time around I've written a lengthy outline for myself of the next chapters so hopefully that helps in speeding up my writing. Just keep in mind, I'm first and foremost an artist; not a writer, an artist. I'm also in college right now and I just got my collector's edition of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim the other day so I will have other priorities on my mind. (mainly Skyrim) :D I really do appreciate all your thoughts and comments though, as they keep me inspired to finish this thing. (I have the whole story done in my head, so I have no need to write it out for myself. That's part of where my problem lies)

Other than that I hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^^


	6. Mounting Suspicions

A.N. Don't ask me how, but this chapter is much longer than the previous one (by about 5,000 words! T^T). I'm also baffled at how chapter five took me around 3 and ½ _years_ to write and yet this next one just took roughly two months. I don't even…

*goes to play Skyrim*

* * *

**Shadow of Rain**

Chapter 6**  
**

* * *

As a wide yawn overcame Ame's entire face, he groggily shuffled his body underneath the covers to gain more heat from the friction. The warmth and softness of the blankets and pillows were not helping him wake up, and neither was the heavenly mattress that his body seemed to melt into.

_This is so much better than that pile of hay that I was using before._ he thought with a tired smile.

Nuzzling further into the blankets, the child let one eye crack open and noticed how the sun was bathing the entire room in light.

"Aw, it must be noon by now if that glow is correct. I hope I haven't kept Mina waiting..." Ame murmured worriedly.

Stretching his legs and arching his back like a cat helped to rouse his sleep-rambled brain. The child then proceeded to slide out of his warm nest to find Minato; however he soon found out that he desperately had to go to the bathroom first. Ame paused at the door to make a more critical observation of the room, while shivering a bit as his feet hit the cold floor.

"My room…" he muttered softly.

It was going to take awhile for him to grow used to such a feeling. Re-noticing the crib arrangement by the wall, Ame became increasingly curious to know if Minato had a child of his own somewhere. A wave of nervousness hit him suddenly, as he didn't want to steal someone's room, let alone take Minato's attention away from any real offspring. Jealousy was a trait he didn't want to invoke upon anyone, especially since it was a feeling that could make you lose yourself - in the Underground at least. He had seen one too many people sell whatever they could just so they could afford trivial luxuries down there.

After throwing a small coughing fit to clear away the sore and parched feeling in his throat, the child then finished in the restroom and went into the hallway. Eventually making his way downstairs towards the kitchen, Ame followed his nose as he could smell a delicious aroma permeating the house from there. He was soon greeted with a glorious sight of scrambled eggs, ham, biscuits, and orange juice; a breakfast feast he had only ever seen the privileged consume. The sights and smells made his mouth water while his stomach growled impatiently.

"Ah, there you are. Did you get enough sleep Ame?" Minato asked him from his chair by the table. "You were beginning to worry me. Anyway, pull up a seat and dig in; you must be starving," he smiled at him.

Puzzled at his concerns, the child eagerly situated himself by the chair next to the older blonde and looked lovingly at the food before him. Minato then reached over his small frame to pick up a plate and piled on a medium portion of everything available. Amused at the drooling boy by his side, he set the plate down and watched transfixed as the child literally inhaled a good chunk of the meal within seconds.

"Easy there kid, you don't want to make yourself sick." He said playfully. "You can have plenty more once you're done, but just make sure to monitor how full you feel, ok?"

Nodding furiously, Ame marveled at how delicious everything tasted. The eggs were so creamy and mouthwatering, not to mention the ravenous feeling he felt as he ripped into the ham and biscuits. Stopping only to gulp down some juice, the boy started into his second helpings only to end halfway through it. He knew good advice when he heard it and had been sick to his stomach too many times when the opportunity presented itself. Ame wanted to be able to properly absorb this meal - not puke it all up due to his stomach bursting. Reveling in the fullness coursing through his body, he leaned back against the chair and sighed blissfully.

Laughing quietly at his response, the kage put down the paper he was reading to sip some coffee. Stretching his back in dual content with the child, Minato turned towards Ame more completely. "Now then, after such a long rest, you wouldn't mind coming to town with me today in order to pick out some clothes, do you?" he questioned him lightly.

The child looked up at him in confusion again. "How long was I asleep? It doesn't seem too long ago that you were just tucking me in."

Laughter in his eyes, the elder blonde merely lifted his coffee to his lips again while pausing to respond. "Two days. Not counting that it's noon right now." Immediately after he took a sip though, he nearly snorted out the hot liquid due to the child's flabbergasted expression.

"TWO DAYS! Ah, I'm sorry…I had no idea!" Ame rambled in obvious distress.

Amused, the Yondaime ruffled his hair playfully, which seemed to calm the child's mild panic attack.

"It's alright Ame, I don't blame you. You must have been in worse shape then I thought when I found you the other evening. At first I did get a bit worried, but Tsunade came by and said that if it was exhaustion keeping you in bed, the safest bet was to just let your body do its thing and recover."

Minato then got up and set to cleaning their dishes and putting away the leftovers into the fridge.

"Now then, since those are essentially day clothes that I dressed you in the other night, we can head out now if you like." he told the child.

Not finding him at the table though, Minato looked down and was endeared when he saw the five year old by his side, drying the cleaned dishes. The older blonde then sadly noticed that despite what he remembered, the clothes he had dressed Ame in still seemed a bit baggy on him, regardless of their size being meant for a child a year younger.

"Aw, you don't have to do that." he grinned. The child merely smiled up at him though and continued what he was doing.

"Thank you for breakfast!" Ame chirped happily. He paused though as the elder knelt down and felt his forehead.

"How are you feeling by the way?" the man asked, concerned. "Your head still feels really warm. I had hoped that some rest would help get rid of the fever." Retracting his hand and noting the boy's content and happy eyes, Minato simply made an internal note to let Rin know about all of his symptoms during their appointment later today. Tsunade was more than likely out gambling since it was the weekend, so she was out of the picture.

"I feel a lot better. Like the other night, my mind felt kinda fuzzy, but now I can think more clearly." Ame responded.

"Ah, well that was probably a symptom of sleep deprivation rather than a cold, but I'm happy you're feeling rejuvenated none the less." the elder blonde replied with a smile as he helped the boy finish cleaning. "How about that cough though?"

The child looked down for a bit, as if debating whether or not to voice what was on his mind. "Well, my throat and chest felt really tight when I woke up and I was coughing for a little bit. Though, I'm fine now." The child spoke, feeling weird. He wasn't used to being asked these sorts of questions, as no one had previously seemed to give a damn. It felt nice though; the nurturing made him feel adored. However, he stopped cleaning again when he spotted the elder's worried expression.

"You're chest felt tight…"Minato mumbled to no one in particular. "Huh…that's not a good sign."

Despite his worries, the two continued cleaning uninterrupted, and once they were done in the kitchen, Minato left his white coat on the hanger by the door and set outside with the five year old - just in his normal Jounin attire. With Ame's little footsteps keeping him entertained, the two made their way down a long path through the forest that, despite being a longer trip than their one the previous night, allowed them to enjoy the sunny weather and calming scenery.

* * *

Looking around once they had entered the village, Ame was surprised at how quickly the vast amount of decorations had been put away. The occasional party string was seen on the ground, but all the shops had taken down their gold and red festival adornments. Now the town looked just as it had on his normal escapades throughout it. However, he noticed how even more villagers seemed to stop the two and happily greeted the elder blonde, who smiled kindly throughout and offered up bits of conversation now and then. Nervously though, Ame become aware of how almost all of the villagers, even the ones who didn't greet the hokage, looked at him with blatant curiosity. Some outright stared at him while others whispered hurriedly as they passed. His nervousness expressed itself as he gently grabbed onto Minato's hand.

Reading his mind, the Yondaime squeezed his reassuringly. "Don't pay attention to them kid. The villagers just love to gossip." he smiled kindly.

Ame was still edgy though. Despite Minato's presence, being out in broad daylight amongst the village streets left him feeling too exposed. By himself, he usually stuck to the shadows or the alleyways so as to avoid any renegades that could be looking for him. Having blonde hair didn't help his situation much, especially in the sunlight as it tended to flash marvelously when hit by the sun's rays.

The child felt a bit vindicated though while looking up at the elder blonde and seeing that he had the same problem.

The two continued on down the market street until Minato pulled them to a stop in front of a cute, seemingly hidden little shop. Inside, Ame felt a wonderful feeling of security due to the small amount of shoppers here - unlike the more popular and large clothing stores they had passed by earlier.

"Now then," Minato began. "Let's just see if I can find you some of the basic necessities over here. Do you care what colors?"

Upon seeing the boy shake his head, the man went into a kind of mother hen mode, which made the female shoppers smile and giggle amongst themselves quietly. He picked out a number of shirts in various shades of blue, black, or white. Then he chose several shorts and pants that were either in black or dark navy – similar to the color that shinobi wore. Minato was careful to keep Ame close so that he could check and recheck the sizes of the clothing to make sure that they would fit him, for now as well as when he put on the normal weight for someone his age. Going over to a different section, he picked out various other requirements, such as jackets, socks, boxers, pajamas, and even a couple of ninja sandals. Soon, one of the employees came by to help carry all the supplies, much to the Yondaime's delight since both his and Ame's hands were beginning to overflow with clothes. The elder blonde chuckled to himself from the boy's overwhelmed expression.

"Ha, you have to like this one!" he said amiably to the child while pointing to a bright orange shirt with a black Uzumaki swirl on the back. Minato was well aware of the history behind the swirl's presence in Konoha, yet each time he saw one, it still sent memories of Kushina running through his head. He was delighted though when he heard the child laugh and run a hand over the bright fabric.

"Ah, it's awesome!" Ame gleefully voiced. "But orange is such a noticeable color…"

"Oh, don't worry about that." Minato said, in observation of his wilting face. "I told you before; I won't let anything happen to you. Do you really like it though?" he questioned knowingly.

At seeing the child's beaming grin, the man smiled and picked out three of the orange shirts from the rack. Then the kage went to check everything in at the register while keeping a watchful eye on the boy as he wandered around the store.

Gazing at the multitude of supplies, Ame felt out of place at being treated to such nice belongings – items that weren't being stolen as well. The child was also still going over the elder blonde's worry over his health this morning.

_I wonder if this is what having parents feels like._ He thought to himself happily.

Ame wanted nothing more than to please the man, as he was terrified of doing something wrong to accidentally make Minato angry, but the five year old couldn't really place the emotions swirling through his head at the moment. In one train of thought, he felt completely at ease and overjoyed at the thought of being taken care of so thoroughly. However, another thought kept coming to ruin his bright outlook. He couldn't shake the thought of him not being worthy for such things. He had only just reunited with Minato after all, and before that he had only known the man for a couple of hours. No one had ever shown him such kindness in his entire life like Minato had; just in Ame's short stay with him too. The only thing he ever received as a gift was usually a whelping of chores from Miya or Shiro to help keep him out of Blight's way in case he got into one of his raging, drunken stupors.

Yet the one thing that kept coming to the forefront of his mind was the fact that his relationship with Minato wasn't normal. He felt a subconscious connection with the man – a type of resonance that tugged at his heart. He felt safe within his arms, no matter the fact that they still had so much to learn about the other. While Ame was still cautious beyond reasoning with all other adults, he didn't feel the need to so much now that he was with the elder blonde. Whenever he had fears or doubts about himself as of recently, Minato was there to calm and comfort him.

Ame remembered the man's words from the night before and while he was still getting used to the idea of having a home and a family, the child felt a warm, giddiness bubble up inside him whenever he was in Minato's presence.

The five year old quickly left the clothes racks and went to stand by Minato's side as he finished paying for the clothing.

Smiling at the boy, who was now clutching the fabric of his pants, the hokage led him outside where the two were once again greeted by doting citizens –making no effort to hide their curiosity towards the child. Ame simply ducked behind Minato until he had shepherded the crowd away and began walking down the street.

"We can head over to the park for a bit if you want." The elder began. "I would bet my life that some of my colleagues are over there with their children, and I have a meaning to catch Fugaku if he's around." The kage rambled, a bit darkly. "I need to teach Obito a lesson for his most recent prank."

Ame was content to simply listen to the soothing sounds his voice offered. He wasn't really paying attention, but he still unconsciously took in the man's hands as they made some sort of weird shape, and then was startled as a second version of Minato suddenly appeared in a poof right beside him. Yelping, the boy reflexively kicked out at the imposter, only to find that the clone vanished upon contact with his foot into another cloud of smoke.

Looking up in bewilderment, Minato began laughing heartily as Ame once again took cover behind him.

"Wow, maybe I should have put more chakra into that one. One punt by a small child and it goes "poof"!" He grinned at the slight puzzlement of the boy. "Kid, have you ever heard of ninjutsu?"

Ame merely cocked his head at the word. "I think I've heard it once or twice. I don't know what it means though." He complained.

"Well…" Minato said as he ran a hand through his long bangs. "It's a pretty lengthy explanation, but just know that shinobi utilize ninjutsu as a type of power which let's us manipulate the energy and elements around us. My clone you just drop-kicked into oblivion was one such technique." He explained with a smile.

"Oh, cool!" the younger blonde replied. "Is that what let's you guys walk on water too, because I had no idea how those other ninjas were doing that?" He bubbled. At seeing the man nod his head, the boy felt a rush of excitement well up within him. "Can you teach me?"

Grinning at him, the elder blonde led them down a path headed towards the park. "If you really want to learn, then absolutely. It will be hard work though. Educating oneself in ninja techniques requires a lot of patience and dedication. It's not a power to be used lightly."

"I don't mind. I promise to work extra hard! Please teach me!" Ame continued, coupled with the gravest face he could muster.

Kneeling down to his level, the Yondaime pierced the boy's serious expression with his own, which made the child swallow nervously.

"To be a shinobi means that you must follow a strict guideline of rules. It's a life of danger and bloodshed which doesn't leave a lot of room for much else." He began in a diplomatic voice. "There will be times when you have to make difficult choices and sometimes the training alone is too tough for many to overcome. Still think you're up to the challenge?" he finished, with a humorous glint in his eyes as he beheld the steadfast gaze of the boy – meeting his eyes unflinchingly throughout his speech.

"I can do it! I want to learn. It will help me protect myself…and those I care about." Ame added softly as he gazed more intently at Minato.

The child was then fumbled as the Yondaime broke out of his frown and laughed jubilantly at him. Ruffling his hair, much to the annoyance of Ame, Minato stood back up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm just playing with you kid. It's not that bad." He joked.

Ame observed how he made those strange symbols with his hands again and stifled a flinch as another clone burst into existence. This "second" Minato took hold of all the shopping bags they were carrying, did a salute, and then jumped up to the rooftops; taking off towards the Hokage monument.

"See? Perfectly harmless…unless I order him to do my evil bidding." The man spoke up devilishly, which caused the child to smile. "Now then, I'll be happy to teach you about chakra and it's sub-disciplines in my spare time. Taking on the life of a shinobi is still a serious career move, but you're only four so there's no need to scar you for life, yet." Minato told him cheerily.

Giggling alongside him in excitement, Ame smiled at his slight mistake. "Five."

The elder blonde gave him a puzzled expression as he looked down.

"I'm five years old now."

"What…since when?" The man asked, clearly feeling out of the loop.

"Since that festival - I had forgotten because I never really pay attention to the days."

At the mention of the festival though, Minato felt his heart catch in his throat. He was aware of himself smiling and congratulating the boy, but other then that he felt an increasing sense of numbness spread throughout his body.

_His birthday is October tenth! _He thought to himself disbelievingly. _And he's five..._

The man wasn't an idiot in thinking that his son was the only one to be born on that day, but the fact that it was _this_ child, who had the hair of sunlight and eyes the color of rain…

Shaking his head in anger, he snorted and focused his body in keeping a collected appearance.

_I've had enough! I'm checking for that damn seal tonight_. He internal growled as he felt nervous butterflies swirl in his stomach. _There probably won't even be anything there. _He added, to help justify his irritation_. _Minato didn't quite understand where the emotions were coming from. The only good aspect about his anger though was that it caused him to think more clearly.

_All of these coincidences are probably just signs from that damn Shinigami to put me through more torture…_he thought miserably, thinking back to the Death God's vow that night.

Despite his pessimism however, all the little details about this child were beginning to add up to him, and though he knew he should be feeling waves of euphoria and incredulity at the prospect, he was absolutely terrified at voicing what his true thoughts were. Minato had never before considered himself to be a coward, but in this one instance, he thought there was an excuse.

_I've already lost my child once. I don't need the added depression of losing him again…_

Ame didn't notice the man's sudden withdrawal though as he was all but consumed with anticipation when he saw the park up ahead. There were around a dozen children his age playing around it, and he practically dragged Minato towards the edge of the playground, where the elder blonde finally snapped out of his daze due to the other parents being there as well.

"Mina, can I go?" the child pleaded.

Minato smiled sweetly at the puppy eyes he was being treated to, while firmly reeling in his internal melancholy to avoid tipping the child off to his stress.

"Go have fun kid. I'll give you around an hour before we have to head back. Sound good?" After the words left his mouth though, the small boy all but bolted as he shouted a "thank you" and headed over towards the other children - three of whom seemed to recognize him immediately and invited him to play, much to the kage's delighted surprise.

"Mina?" a gruff voice sarcastically questioned beside him.

The Yondaime didn't even have to turn around to recognize the characteristic haughtiness of Uchiha Fugaku.

"Oh shuddap…. it's just an endearing nickname" He replied, in an equally mocking tone.

"Ha, you know me. I love surprises." the dark haired man stated in a monotonous voice, which made the hokage smile. "However, I've heard rumors from HQ of a small, blonde haired boy being seen within your vicinity on numerous occasions. At first I dismissed them as being rabble-rouses, but to see such a child today…" he mused with a leer. "You work very fast Minato…I must say."

"What! No…geez, who knew you could be so snarky." Minato told him humorously. At the man's raised eyebrow, the blonde merely continued. "I found him Fugaku – we first met around a month ago. He was homeless…well ok he had a home, but it's not really considered such." The man muttered as he scratched his head. "Ah, it's very complicated…."

"Well look at you. I don't think I've ever seen you so flustered before, Mr. perfect. Such a good Samaritan too; taking in a kid off the street."

"_Anyhow_…."the Yondaime growled while ignoring his sarcasm. "I'm happy I caught you here…"

The Uchiha interrupted him with a sigh. "It's sad that you don't even have to finish that sentence for me to know it's about Obito…What did the brat do this time…?"

"Oh nothing…" Minato began "He just let loose a mass of crickets into the Hokage building the other day. Now, I don't care about bugs so I wasn't affected, but I hardly got anything done that night because all my secretaries are female and they _refused_ to enter the building to help me organize."

"Where did he get the crickets?" Fugaku questioned, but when the only reply he got was a blank stare from the blonde, he cleared his throat and corrected himself. "Ah, I mean, how atrocious…I shall have him on babysitting duty for a month!"

Smiling at the Uchiha's struggle, Minato looked over towards the play area. He wasn't at peace until he spotted Ame though, whom he found was playing with Shikaku's child, Shikamaru.

"Fugaku…I actually have something rather serious I would like to discuss with you." Minato stated with a clouded look in his eyes.

The man merely stared at him quizzically. "You know you can trust me hokage-sama. You have my full attention."

Breathing out a long sigh, the blonde motioned for him to follow, where he led him to a side of the park with no eavesdroppers that he could detect. Minato even made a small hand gesture to alert his ANBU to keep people out of the area around them. His actions, he noted, had set the Uchiha on guard.

"What's wrong? If it's really serious why didn't you contact me through the police force? I mean I don't mind talking to you like this – I actually rather prefer it…but-" He stopped though as Minato held up a hand to interrupt him.

"I feel like we have some security leaks - that's why." The blonde said candidly, to the shock of the other. "What I'm going to say to you is top secret. I don't want this information to get into the wrong hands, especially if my suspicions prove to be correct and it compromises our "ignorance" of the subject."

The Uchiha merely bowed deeply, displaying to the kage his submission and compliance. Minato was simply grateful for his seriousness and smiled at him so that he would relax.

"Now, you remember how I said that the child who I'm taking care of has a complex story?" At the man's nod, the blonde looked over towards Ame again. "I stumbled upon him by accident last month with a fresh stab wound, his body being nothing but skin and bones, and he was covered in scars and old wounds."

At this, the dark haired man frowned and directed his gaze towards the small child too.

"According to him," Minato continued. "He was being pursued by rogue shinobi, who were under orders to take him back home. A home that is apparently concealed within a large black market trade _underneath_ Konoha…" he finished grimly.

Fugaku stared at him with a shocked expression. "Are you talking about _The_ Underground? It's just a rumor though - it can't be real. My clan has been policing this village for _generations_! There's no way an organization like that wouldn't be detected." He complained.

"Not unless there are people on the surface to aid them." Minato cut in, which caused the Uchiha to clip his mouth shut - his eyes going wide.

"Now you understand the seriousness of my concerns?"

"Of course, but…are you sure the boy is a credible enough source. He looks barley as old as Sasuke." The man cautioned him, while continuing to gaze at the younger child, who was blissfully ignorant of them as he played with the other kids.

"I trust his word. If you ever have the chance to converse with him, you'll find it extremely eerie the way he talks, as he speaks with the complex sentencing and vocabulary of someone twice his age." Minato murmured sadly. "He's been through a lot Fugaku. I can tell just by looking into his eyes that his story isn't a lie. In fact, the more I've pondered about it these last couple of days, the more anxious I've become about the corruption in our ranks if there are truly traitors involved."

The dark haired man nodded solemnly. "You have my word hokage-sama. I'll be directing my full attention towards this." He then sighed heavily and turned a tired gaze towards the ground. "That will be a grand old day for the other ninja villages when they hear about it. "Oh, Look at Konoha, who couldn't even detect a crime pool beneath their very own city." they'll gossip."

Smiling, Minato shook his head. "I'm sure they have their own skeletons that they don't want known. Just remember that until I have more solid proof, we can't do any major investigations. That means no interrogation or blunt examining of the issue."

Fugaku nodded again. He then seemed to struggle with his next words as a grimace overcame him.

"Do you think Danzo is involved?"

Minato's face melted into a glare, which caused the Uchiha to step back involuntarily. "Oh, I'm sure of it. After all, with those Root members of his, I'm positive that they're able to conceal all kinds of records or bypass our detection jutsus we have set in place around the village." The man grumbled; unmindful of Fugaku's wariness towards his anger. "What I'm really concerned with is what it gets him in return. That man never does _anything_ without a reason. What need does he possibly have to keep an organization like this running? All I want you to do for now is to keep your clan's Sharingans pointed towards the ground. If we're actively looking for something amiss, we'll be bound to catch a loophole in their system. I know you guys aren't the Hyuuga and you can't just see into the abyss…but you're still able to detect chakra signatures and movement nonetheless."

"Why not simply involve the Hyuuga too?" the Uchiha questioned him lightly.

Minato sighed, and shook his head sadly. "I trust Hiashi and his brother immensely, but some of their main house members still hold grudges against them due to their decision to abandon the archaic traditions of sealing. Also, the recent attack against his daughter, Hinata, has them all frazzled; I just don't want to risk it until we get more evidence, which will allow us more freedom. I fully trust you're police force though." He added with a confident smile. "You've led them well Fugaku, despite the struggles we've faced in the past."

"Your kind words are too much, hokage-sama." the older ninja responded, with another respectful bow. "Don't we need some place to start though? Konoha is a large city. I'm sure this black market, if it does exist, doesn't take up the entire circumference of it."

Nodding in agreement, Minato motioned for him to follow again and led him over towards the edge of the playground, where the elder blonde called out to Ame. Fugaku watched with great interest as the smaller child responded to him almost immediately and bounded over to stand by Minato's side with a happy smile on his face.

"Ame, this is Uchiha Fugaku; a very good friend of mine." The blonde began. "I've been discussing with him your situation and we need your help with something."

Ame looked up curiously at the older ninja, with nervous anxiety in his eyes - a look that did not go unnoticed by the two men.

"It's ok. You can trust him." Minato spoke reassuringly as he readjusted his stance into one that was more relaxed. He was happy to note that the Uchiha mirrored him.

The child simply looked back towards Minato and nodded as he regained his beaming grin.

"Help with what?"

The hokage leaned down and was surprised when Fugaku again followed his movements so that both of them were at the child's eye level. _He really is taking this seriously._ Minato noted with an internal smile. _He usually acts so cold towards children. Maybe having his own helped to chip away the ice around his heart._

Looking calmly at the boy, Minato began his speech with a serene voice to try and sooth the child some more. "Ame, I know you're still nervous about Blight and his hired mercenaries, but we need to start investigating how the Underground has managed to survive for so long. Fugaku here needs your help in being able to have a starting point so that he and his men can begin looking for holes in the market's defenses." He said calmly.

The five year old frowned deeply and looked intensely at the dirt.

The Uchiha, in seeing his hesitance, decided to cut in. "By those scars on your arms, I'm guessing that there are people down there who have hurt you, right?"

His only answer was a solemn nod.

"So, there are others who are being treated the same way that you are?"

"Yeah… a lot more." The smaller blonde mumbled.

"If you help us," Minato began, "we can try to put an end to their suffering and yours. You will have the satisfaction of seeing those men get the punishment they deserve." He concluded with a conviction that made the child look up hopefully.

"What do you need me to do?" Ame asked nervously, as Fugaku also looked towards the older blonde for his answer.

Minato closed his eyes for a moment, and then looked into Ame's with a confidence that he hoped would be rubbed off on him. "I need you to show us one of the entrances. We don't have to do it directly of course." He added as he watched the terror become more apparent in the younger child's face. "All you have to do is lead us around the village and then give us a sign when we get to an area where there's an opening. I'm guessing that you're not familiar with the entire layout of the city, which is why we can't just have you point on a map." He said forlornly.

Ame stood silently as the two men observed him. For what seemed like several minutes he internally debated with himself in order to give them an answer. Finally, there was a look of resolution in the boy's eyes as he looked up at Minato and nodded.

"We'll have to be careful." Ame eventually declared, in a voice far too experienced for a five year old. "There are guards that stand faithfully by the outside entrances, and I've heard that they're highly perceptive of curious onlookers."

Minato absently noted the way Fugaku stiffened upon hearing the child's speech pattern.

"They wear disguises that often change daily," Ame continued, uninterrupted. "and they also switch out their shifts with various people for duty, so I'm never able to identify them by their looks. Often they appear as beggars though, or those half-naked, female ladies."

The Yondaime was amused by his wording as he spotted the Uchiha blush. Thinking about his answer had him confused though.

"So, how have you been able to escape so many times then?" Minato questioned him curiously.

Ame grinned up at him mischievously, which took the man aback.

"There are only four entrances that the inhabitants can use; one in each major direction." he stated. "However, since it's underground, there are various, smaller crevices in the earth that they don't know about. Many of these lead up to the surface, though they're too small for anyone larger than my size to squeeze through. Even I've been having trouble with some of them, as I've gotten older." He stated, with a proud smile as he noticed Minato shake his head and smirk at him.

"I'm going to have fun teaching you kid. You seem to have a knack for resourcefulness."

Standing straight again, he looked over at Fugaku who seemed to read his mind and nodded at him.

"I'm ready to follow whenever you are. Let me just fetch Itachi so that he can take Sasuke home."

Minato watched him walk over towards the benches where they had first arrived and whistle into the air for a quick second, which brought over his eldest son. The hokage was pleased to note that Itachi was turning out to be one of Konoha's most talented prodigies.

Turning back towards Ame, he made sure to study the boy's behavior in order to sense if he was overstepping the child's boundaries at all. Minato had tried to tell him the other night that it was all right to be open with him, but ever since he had woken up from his two-day slumber, the five year old had done nothing but behave like the most courteous, well-mannered child he had ever met. The elder blonde resigned himself to patience though, for he knew that it must be difficult for the boy to adjust to such dramatic changes in his life.

Ame scared him then, for he suddenly looked up and smiled.

"Don't be tense, Mina. I don't mind going back as long as you're with me. I actually never even thought about getting revenge on Blight before as I've never had the power to do so." He stated with a bright-eyed gleam.

"You can't read minds can you?" Minato joked, but when the boy merely cocked his head, the elder grinned and ruffled his hair. "I really appreciate this Ame. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I promise that I'm going to get to the bottom of this organization. It's unacceptable that they've been allowed to thrive here in Konoha for so long, especially considering the type of crimes being committed down there." He declared with a glare directed at nothing in particular.

Minato was brought out of his musings though as the child wordlessly took hold of his hand and leaned against his side while waiting for Fugaku to return. Ame's warm weight against his leg was a comfort the elder blonde couldn't easily put a name to. It brought out a rush of paternal affection that the man hadn't felt in a _long_ time. Words seemed to be needless in that moment, so he too purely stood silent as he watched the Uchiha walk back towards them.

"Sorry for the wait." The older man stated, while curiously observing the way the child subtly retracted away from him and stood further behind the hokage.

"No problem. Was your son alright with being tasked to go home?" the blonde questioned him curiously, as Ame began to pull his hand in the direction of the eastern districts.

Fugaku shook his head and smiled as he walked in pace with them. "No. He's always been extremely mature, but it's become more pronounced ever since Sasuke was born - taking on all sorts of tasks so his mother and I can relax. I don't even want to think about how strictly I would have raised him had you not intervened with the clan's problems all those years back." He told him, with admiration lacing his every word.

"You know you don't have to keep bringing that up." The kage smiled, while observing the passing shops and people as they continued following Ame. He unconsciously took in the way the child was listing in to their conversation while keeping his eyes peeled forward

"I've known you for a long time, and I would have been upset to see you walk in the same steps that you're father took, especially with how many times you complained to me about him during our old missions." He joked.

The Uchiha merely snorted. "Yeah, well, regardless, I'm glad it's you leading us and not some biased clan member. Now and then, the council will rear its head up within the clan; demanding that someone with more of a…er… "background" to take leadership." The man stated with an angry glare. "They don't seem to understand that regardless if someone from either Uchiha, Hyuuga, Hatake, or you name it, becomes leader, despite the individual's power, it will cause the balance to shift in favor of a certain side. That's why we've had problems in the past with Sarutobi and his Senju mindset. With you though, no offense, there is no official clan in charge, so it keeps things relaxed. Plus it helps that your heritage is such a mystery because some of your adversaries have been coming up with the greatest of rumors." He concluded with a grin.

Frowning a bit, the Yondaime gave him one of his famous flat looks.

"Like what? They're not still telling that Tengu fable, are they?" he asked with a nervous squint.

"…Tengu?" Ame piped up suddenly.

"Ah, umm…it's nothing."

"Ha! Let him know. It's an amusing story." The Uchiha countered, while turning to face the eager child. "See kid, Blondie's hair style over here is often compared to a Tengu in the air. Tengu are winged demons, often worshiped as harbingers of war and great protectors. During the Third Great Shinobi War, Minato became a living legend as he defeated a number of armies single handedly from a technique that enabled him to "fly" faster than anything ever seen before. Due to his orphaned past, no one had any idea what his lineage consisted of, so many of the ninjas, being a superstitious lot, began to make their own assumptions about him; mainly consisting of stories that told of him being sent from the Tengu as a blessing towards the Land of Fire. Needless to say, the war ended pretty quickly after Minato became seriously involved." He finished with a smirk. "A man with the soul of a Tengu… You have to hand it to them for creativity."

"It's not funny…those bird things are always depicted with freakishly long noses." Minato whined, touching his own nose out of instinct. "Mine isn't that long. Is it?"

"Your nose is fine, miss priss." The Uchiha snorted. "They compared your wild hair to the bird anyway, not your face."

Laughing, Ame stared up at the older blonde in awe of the story. "Can you really fly Mina?" he asked with a hushed voice.

Still frowning, the man looked down at him and cracked a smile. "No. Not literally anyway. I have a technique that lets me teleport at instantaneous speeds, so I guess it gives the illusion that I can." Glaring at the Uchiha, the blonde sighed aggressively. "Don't listen too much into rumors though, Ame. They tend to over exaggerate things, a lot! Do you know that there was a woman from Iwa who came into my office once, and with one look she stormed back out because I didn't have a red, demonic face - characteristic of a youkai?" he angrily directed at Fugaku, who merely shrugged his shoulders with a stifled laugh. "I swear…these people are so irrational sometimes that it kills me."

"Can you blame them?" the dark-haired man refuted. "Look at all the bizarre, supernatural occurrences that appear at random throughout the lands; especially mysteries such as the Rikudo sage and the Biju."

"Well, those have more of an explanation. It gives our techniques some back history so that civilians don't freak out over our weird jutsu mishaps."

"and the Biju…"

"Ok, fine! Have it your way. So there are magical powers at work."

"I think someone's in denial…I heard that during the Kyuubi attack you actually conversed with a divine."

Minato fumbled at his statement. "How the _hell_ do you know about that? Was it Jiraiya? I swear to god that man cannot keep a secret if his _life_ depended on it."

The Uchiha merely gave him a dumbfounded look. "So it's true then? I was only messing with you Minato as I thought it was just another rumor!" he declared with sense of awe. "I thought you simply used the normal Eight Trigrams Seal to trap the monster."

Exhaling the largest sigh that he could summon, the hokage pierced Fugaku's face with a glare. "Yes…are you happy now? I summoned the Death God that night in order to seal the beast, and ever since I've been trying to reason with myself that it was just some weird mass of chakra; just like the tailed beasts…" Scratching his head, Minato looked on ahead, even as he could peripherally see that both Ame and Fugaku were blatantly staring at him. "I don't really want to believe that there are forces out there, some even greater than the tailed beasts, that could wipe us all within the blink of an eye." The blonde explained. "Call it denial. I'm also not really good at the whole worship thing…"

Nodding his head in agreement, the Uchiha merely clapped him on the back to ease his stress. "I didn't mean to dig in so personally. I was just teasing since you're so easy to rile up." He joked as the Yondaime gave him another flat stare. "Honestly though, I had no idea that it took a God to seal the Kyuubi, but thinking back to that day, it only makes sense…I'll drop the subject nevertheless if it makes you happy" Fugaku concluded.

"Yes, please." The elder blonde prayed, with a pained expression adorning his face.

"What's the Kyuubi?" Ame asked suddenly, with a confused frown as he watched Minato give him a sad glance. "Was that what the festival the other day was about?"

The elder blonde remained silent for a long time before finally answering him; absently perceiving the way Fugaku gave him a curious glance. "The Kyuubi is a demon, Ame. A nine-tailed fox demon to be exact and he's a creature made up purely out of a malevolent mass of chakra that has taken on a corporeal form."

At seeing the youngster's perplexed look though, Minato smiled as he remembered that the boy was most likely new to practically everything Fugaku and him and just discussed. "Chakra is the energy that makes up our entire world." He explained. "It exists in every living thing. Ninja in particular have been trained to harness that energy, which is what we use to fuel our techniques. I'll give you a more detailed analysis of it when I start to train you. However, in the case of the Biju, they are tailed beasts that are made up of huge condensed amounts of this chakra, which gives them enormous and terrifying power. There are nine in total, with each increase in tail adding to the beast's power." He concluded, to the baffled expression of the boy.

"So, are they mean?" Ame asked innocently, which caused both him and Fugaku to look at each other and chuckle.

"Let's put it this way." The Uchiha started in ominously. "Five years ago, the Kyuubi attacked this very village for some reason, and if it weren't for the hokage, the animal would have leveled the village to the ground, along with everyone in it."

His explanation left the boy wide eyed.

"They are very dangerous forces of nature." Minato told him, to counter Fugaku's blunt answer. "But all of this is too much for one so young." He drifted off with concern.

Ame simply gave him a pout, which caused the older blonde to grin. "Aw, I'm old enough. I think it's really interesting! Blight won't stand a chance against you if you can summon Gods and defeat demons!" he added with a sparkle in his eyes; ignoring the way Fugaku barked out of laughter. Minato merely looked at him forlornly while tousling his hair as they continued down the road.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ame, with images of Minato as a bird warrior continuing to float in his mind, had brought them further down the eastern roads. The child felt his throat begin to burn painfully each time he swallowed now, but dutifully ignored it so as not to alert anyone. He continued leading them until they reached an area of the village that the Yondaime didn't feel comfortable entering; despite his status as hokage. Fugaku also began to make subtle gestures that hinted he was uneasy as the trio entered Konoha's red-light district.

Looking down and noting Ame's nervous face told Minato that this was obviously where one of the entrances lay, yet suddenly thinking that he was making Fugaku's police force work here, while going incognito and using their sharingans, made him snort. The Uchiha seemed to read his mind and gave him glare.

The child suddenly began to walk much slower, and he soon backed into Minato and took shelter between the two men as he matched their pace; all the while continuing to act normally. Ame then tapped Minato's leg to get his attention and whispered quietly so that only he and Fugaku would hear him.

"You see those two ladies by that alley over there?"

Minato subtly glanced around until he peripherally found the area Ame was talking about. Not wanting to appear suspicious, he made sure not to look directly at it.

Seeing both men nod in affirmation though, the boy continued. "Further down that alley, you'll reach a brick wall that marks a dead-end. The entrance is directly behind that wall. From what I've overheard, there are a couple of loose bricks that are rigged to a pulley system, and if they're dismantled in a certain sequence, it opens up into a tunnel leading down into the caverns. Those ladies are the current guards though, and if they catch anyone who doesn't have the proper code heading too far down the alley, they have some sort of signal that alerts the guards on the inside."

Minato frowned and thought to himself that it was a very clever system – most likely utilizing chakra sentinels on either side of the gateway. He glanced at Fugaku, who merely had to lock eyes with him for a second to tip off that he had memorized the information. To keep up their innocent façade, the trio never broke their pace. They simply continued walking forward, while Minato noticed a bit unhappily the way numerous, disheveled civilians began to hide from him, as they no doubt looked ready to pass out from either drugs or booze.

_They're freaking out with good reason; it's not everyday that the hokage and chief of police comes strutting down such a questionable street._

Almost as soon as they had arrived though, Ame had led them all the way through the district until they had made it back onto the main road, with passing villagers giving them curious looks at the direction they had come from.

_Ha! They're no doubt wondering if I'm one of __**those**__ types of men…stupid, perverted Sarutobi had to go and corrupt the name hokage._ The elder blonde internally snickered to himself. _Poor Fugaku though - Rumors will undoubtedly circulate towards his wife of where he's been today._

Once they had traveled a far enough distance away and were once again immersed in the heavily populated market streets, Ame turned towards them while looking a bit apprehensive.

"That was the Eastern entrance. The others are located at various alleyways in the other three directions."

Minato suddenly thought of a piece of their conversation the other day that left him dreading the answer. "Ame, you said Blight has gone to Suna, which was why you've been able to be free for so long."

The child looked up at him a bit puzzled and nodded.

"How do they travel that vast distance without getting stopped by either our patrols or Suna's?"

Furrowing his brow, the boy pondered his question for a while. "I'm not sure. I've never had to go with them before. I know they don't use the surface though. I think Blight mentioned once that they have…umm…what did he call them…"Earth elemental users" who can carve away at the rock to build tunnels reaching towards it." He stated, to the shock of both men.

Fugaku turned towards the elder blonde with a severe expression. "This is turning out to be something much more than just a simple Konohagakure problem." He grimly spoke.

Exhaling sharply through his nose, the Yondaime nodded. "I'll have to have a talk with the council and the Sandaime about this soon. If it involves Suna, which is pretty far away from us, then this black market apparently has the manpower to tunnel into the other countries as well."

The melancholy of the two men seemed to bypass Ame though, for he was simply feeling exhilarated at having passed by so closely to the guards, who hadn't even recognized him.

_They didn't even look Mina in the face._ He thought back, a bit mystified. _They usually scrutinize every little, moving thing that passes by them. Yet, this time…they looked… afraid somehow. _He thought, with a bit of dark delight.

Since they had done a full circle from where the trio had started walking, Ame turned to gaze at the children playing nearby and felt his body course with built up energy. Looking back up at Minato, he touched his hand gently to get his attention.

"Mina, can I go play some more?" he asked politely. The elder blonde looked down at him with a gentle smile that caused the child's heart to flutter pleasantly.

"Yeah…I'm sorry we pulled you away so soon. I had told you…what…. an hour that you'd be allowed to spend here?" He reminded himself a bit sheepishly. "And that was actually around an hour ago too, judging by the sun. Go ahead - I'll be by the benches again if you need me." He concluded, as he watched the child run off a second time towards the playground.

Fugaku then turned towards him as he provided a respectful bow. "Forgive me hokage-sama, but I must leave to begin organizing a team to investigate that area. The sooner we find out any details, the better."

Minato gave him a short nod and smiled at him in thanks. "You'll give my regards to Mikoto, won't you?" he warmly stated, as the Uchiha grinned and turned around.

"Of course. It's been a pleasure meeting with you today." The older man concluded, and saluted before jumping away on the rooftops towards the Uchiha compound.

The Yondaime then stretched his back with a tired moan as he was soon alone again, and sat down on one of the benches to think over the facts they had learned. There were around a dozen different ways to go about the situation. Sneak tactics were the best way to obtain evidence without running the risk of alarm – which was especially useful if this organization involved Danzo somehow.

_I need to clue Jiraiya in on this. He could hopefully have a contact somewhere with more information._

Despite his intellect taking dominance, Minato wanted nothing more than to barge down that brick wall and pull his Hirashin on every moving person he saw. He felt helpless at the way he was slowly but continuously finding out little nuances within Ame that displayed how deeply he had been damaged by all the abuse. These were just internal thoughts though, as he knew that there were most likely innocents living down in those caverns that had known nothing of a normal life except the illegal trading that they were doing.

He unconsciously felt some of his other friends approach him, as he was mulling the situation over and over again in his mind; happily welcoming their distraction due to his tired brain.

* * *

Ame, who was beginning to run out of breath from his activities, started coughing for a little while as he continued weaving in and out of the jungle bars; trying not to get caught by Shikamaru. Laughing as he almost got spotted, he tried to find an adequate hiding place before suddenly being pulled into a tunnel by someone. Looking up, bewildered, he noticed his "savior" was a pretty, blonde haired girl around his age.

"Hi! I'm Ino!" she sang, in a voice laced with far too much enthusiasm - according to him at least. Her high pitch right next to his sensitive ear caused him to wince painfully. As the five year old noticed the padding feet of Shikamaru come closer though, he latched a hand over the girl's mouth to keep her quiet. Rather than fighting him, she merely giggled and nodded her head - convincing him to remove his hand.

The two became stock still as the boy's shadow hitched to a stop right in front of their tunnel. Ame got a huge thrill out of this, as it was like a much less dangerous version of the cat and mouse game he sometimes made Blight's lackeys play – unwillingly of course.

The two children then watched with duel excitement as Shikamaru's shadow shrank more and more as he walked away.

Keeping a keen ear trained on his footsteps, the blonde relaxed a bit as he heard the Nara shout while catching some other kid hiding. Taking advantage of the opening, Ame crawled out of the tunnel and made a break for the larger slide further away, while vaguely registering Ino as she laughed and tagged along beside him.

Upon reaching the slide, the child used his expert climbing skills to rapidly scale it from the ground up. He reached the safety of the shelter above within less than a second, albeit it cost him a lung as he shuddered while another coughing fit took hold of him and ravaged his already sore chest. When it cleared though, he looked back down and noticed that Ino could barely manage five steps without sliding back down with a distressed squeal. He moved down to try and help her, but then he saw how Shikamaru appeared on the other side due to her noises and quickly sneaked up to tag her. Ame had ducked in time so that he wasn't caught, but it gave his heart an adrenaline rush nonetheless as he heard her scream. He watched, bemused, as Ino began to angrily rant at the kid while she sulked off to where the losers were playing.

Observing the pineapple-haired boy wandering off again, Ame began to stand up to go find another hiding place when he was suddenly overcome by an extreme case of light-headedness and had to hold onto the railing so that his vertigo would go away. Swaying a bit, the child groaned and held his head, which had begun to throb painfully. He knelt down to his knees so that the shelter covered him completely in shadow, and tried taking in deep breaths.

_What's wrong with me…I never get dizzy._

He gave out an angry snort as he thought of all the times that Blight's men had chased him, regardless of the wind, rain, or an empty stomach - not once being overcome with faintness.

Looking through a hole in the wooden side panels of the fort, the child observed how Minato was conversing over by the benches with a couple of other adults. Becoming slightly alarmed at his condition, Ame felt the sudden urge to go over to the man for comfort, yet his stubbornness soon kicked in which told him that he was fine.

Standing up again, cautiously this time, the boy slowly walked over towards the slide and glided down to the ground. Feeling better, he then felt safe enough to dash over to the nearby bushes for cover. Almost as soon as he stopped running though, another bout of dizziness crashed into him and this time it caused him to stumble into the grass on his face.

Panic gripped Ame then, as he wasn't used to feeling so helpless – physically at least. Rising up into a sitting position on the ground, he noticed that his headache had lessened a little bit, but now he was feeling extremely shaky as he struggled with his eyes to clear the spots now invading his vision. His skin was coated in bumps as chills shivered up and down his body while the boy tried to collect himself. The bushes he was hiding in were as tall as an adult's hip, so he didn't have to worry about getting caught. However, thoughts of the game soon left his mind as he became increasingly aware of the shakes his body couldn't control. Sniffling a bit, Ame felt absolutely miserable_. _

_I've never been sick before…_he thought despondently. _I hope this doesn't mean something bad has gone wrong with me. _

Ame wasn't expecting a reply to his internal worries, which was why he was taken aback when a soft, baritone purr echoed within his mind – almost as if chastising him. The child felt a bit relieved though, even as he shuddered at the dark aura that suddenly swept through his body. He had been worried this past month that whatever presence lied within him had gone away due to the lack of communication – mainly the growling.

Ame wondered passively if it was behind his bizarre changes when Blight had whipped him the other month.

Trying to calm his fears, the five year old stood up, carefully again, and this time headed over towards the benches. The game was over in his mind, as all he could think about was curling up somewhere warm and going to sleep. Walking over towards the other ninjas though, he felt a bit apprehensive. Deciding to circle around them instead of going straight through them, the child eventually made his way over to Minato, who looked over at him in surprise. The man glanced at the sun for a quick second before returning his gaze.

"It's only been a half hour Ame. You sure you're done playing?" he asked curiously.

Still shivering, the child looked up at him a bit embarrassed. One morning of Minato questioning him on his health wasn't enough time for him to get used to being nurtured so heavily. Despite that, the prospect of the blonde's comfort was all the child could think of at the moment.

"I don't feel good…" Ame eventually relented, and he watched a bit mesmerized as the man stopped paying attention to the other adults immediately while locking eyes with him and frowning. Sitting forward from his previously relaxed position, the kage brought the child closer for inspection, as he felt his forehead once again.

"What doesn't feel right?" he questioned him gently, while smoothing back the boy's hair. "Your fever definitely hasn't gone down at all."

Enjoying the warmth that the touch brought immensely, Ame closed his eyes and whimpered, seeing as how his body seemed to ache everywhere now.

"I don't know. While playing, I suddenly got really dizzy and thought that it was nothing until it made me fall down. Now I just feel cold and my entire body hurts…" he complained softly.

Concern etched onto his face, Minato tried to come up with a reason for the multitude of symptoms, yet not being a doctor he had no way to justify any of his thoughts. He sighed due to the fact that Rin wouldn't be showing up to his house until another forty minutes or so. Leaning over to pick Ame up, he observed with a surprised smile how the boy simply hopped against his legs on his own and situated himself on his lap.

_Only a few days ago, that would never have happened_. Minato thought to himself happily.

Encircling the small bundle in his arms to give him more warmth, the hokage sat up as Ame nestled into his shoulder more comfortably and closed his eyes with a tired sigh.

"Does this mean you'll be leaving us so soon?" Shikaku whined in good humor from next to him.

Turning to grin at him apologetically, Minato carefully shielded Ame so that he wouldn't fret too much from the presence of so many strangers.

"Sorry, but he's been getting really sick these past couple of days, and I don't want him getting any worse in this Fall weather." He reasoned, while noting that his subordinate's faces all seemed understanding and looked sympathetically at the small blonde in his arms.

"No problem Minato. I know the feeling only too well. It was nice seeing you today." his friend Inoichi stated, while turning away with a nod in his direction to go and find his daughter. "Hopefully we'll see each other like this soon. It feels so weird now to talk to you while you're in that big office. Not like the good old days…remember?"

Minato only grimaced. "Yeah, meaning behind enemy lines while getting fireballs thrown in our faces?"

"Ah, I miss that…of course not all the death; just the constant adrenaline." added Shikaku, with a simple smile on his face.

Chuckling to himself, the kage said his final goodbyes to the men, while observing how they were noticeably curious about the boy in his care.

_They're trying so hard not to be obvious about it while continuously glancing down at him. _He thought amused. The blonde was appreciative of their reserve though, as he didn't feel like explaining to anyone else about Ame's origins today.

Minato then exited the park as the sun began to set and headed over towards the monument. However, a frown soon overcame his face as he felt what the child was talking about earlier.

_He's shaking a lot_. He noted anxiously. _And it's not even that cold out yet._

Concern gnawing its way through his system, the elder blonde proceeded to take the fast way home, and with a burst of chakra that jolted Ame wide awake, he took off on the rooftops at top speed.

Spending several minutes marveling at the buildings streaking by, Ame soon focused on Minato and tried to recognize the power that the man had talked to him about earlier. While simultaneously enjoying the wind breezing past his face, the child put a hand on the man's arm and concentrated on the pulsing electricity he felt beneath the skin.

Feeling the strange energy suddenly latch into his own arm, the boy became excited as a bubbling force seemed to fill up his entire being, spreading from his naval area and diffusing throughout his entire body; even all the way to his fingertips. With curiosity his driving factor, Ame slowly pushed his own energy towards Minato and was shocked when immediately as he did so, a wave of vivid emotions filled his being that were completely unrelated to his own. He sharply retracted his hand as he heard Minato gasp alongside him. The man soon slowed to a stop on one of the buildings and gave him a stunned expression, while Ame ducked his head a bit shamefully.

"How did you do that?" the older blonde asked him in amazement.

Seeing how he wasn't angry, the child relaxed his face back into a smile.

"I tried feeling for the energy you told me about, and in sensing yours, I was curious about what would happen if it mixed with mine." The boy cheerfully explained.

He still regarded the kage a bit nervously though, as the mysterious presence in his mind started to growl darkly. Ame could tell by its tone that it wasn't a warning snarl, like he would often get when being chased by Blight's men, but it was still a sign that it was unhappy about something. Looking back up at Minato, the child reflexively shrank his frame to make him appear smaller as the man fixated him with an overwhelmed appearance.

"Ame, your chakra…it…it resonated with mind somehow, as I saw into your emotions for a brief second." He rambled a little breathlessly - his eyes wide.

"Ah, you too!" the child responded, making the Yondaime even more shocked. "I felt something flash in my head but was confused about where it came from."

Laughing loudly for a long second, Minato raised his head to the sky and grinned up at the sun in bewilderment. Gazing back down at the blonde in his grip, the hokage noticed how the child seemed utterly confused.

"Kid, you're only five. Five!" he exclaimed to the now uneasy boy. "I'm surprised you're able to sense chakra at all, let alone gather it into sufficient amounts to be used."

Furrowing his brow, Ame looked up at the elder blonde in slight anguish at this. "Does that mean something's wrong with me then…like the chills I keep getting?"

Softening his expression, Minato rubbed the boys back to create friction against his shivering. "Aw, no Ame. Being able to manipulate chakra at such a young age is a good thing! It's actually a really rare occurrence, so shinobi can often point out prodigies by how early they're able to handle their own chakra." He warmly explained. "Now, your chills are another story. It's most likely a symptom of the flu or something."

Smiling at the revelation, Ame put his head back down on Minato's shoulder, as the man began running over the rooftops again – this time, at a much faster pace. Hearing the elder blonde laugh to himself every now and then caused the boy to wonder what was so special about the energy he had felt. It seemed to him like it was just some weird part of his anatomy…like his nervous system or his blood.

_Or that animalistic presence in my mind…_Ame added, while amusingly hearing the presence "snort" at him from within his head. The thing was becoming much more active for some reason today.

* * *

Sighing in relief as they finally made it home, Minato carried the sleepy child into the living room and set him down on the soft couch, where he watched his little body curl in on itself and burrow into the pillows. Laying down a plush, fur blanket over him, the elder blonde then quietly went up towards the bedroom that Ame was using, where his clone had deposited their shopping bags before vanishing.

Spending his time arranging the new clothes into the various drawers and closets, Minato thought back towards the feeling of Ame's chakra. He was impressed that the child was able to mold it at all, yet the part that kept drawing his attention was his resonance with Ame and their brief sharing of emotions.

_That doesn't occur with just anyone…_he mused to himself quietly.

He kept his thoughts focused on the arranging though, for his mind was too chaotic in dealing with all of these emotions.

"I need to have a serious conversation with Jiraiya - tonight."

Looking at the clock told him that Rin should be here any minute, as his organizing and thinking had busied himself longer than he thought. Heading downstairs, he smiled to himself as the doorbell rang at that precise moment. Opening the door, he welcomed in his former student while moving over so that she could come inside.

"Hey sensei, sorry this had to be so late, but I was right in my predictions at the hospital. We were overrun today with cases from that small fishing village by our border." She rambled, a bit breathlessly. "It sucks that we are the only city within reach that has the resources to treat them since they have to travel so far."

Smiling at her and walking over towards the living room, he made a quick observation of Ame to see if he was still asleep.

"What was wrong? Was it a bridge accident again, because I've been telling Wave country for months that I have that Gato asshole under my submission, so they shouldn't be bothered at all?" he stated, while noting that the boy hadn't moved a muscle from when he had gone upstairs.

Rin nodded a bit angrily. "Oh they know…but they're still scared, so they only have the minimum number of people working on it at a certain time, which is _severely_ affecting the safety protocols required for such a dangerous architectural project." She stated with a huff. "I had to treat one man specifically today, who had fallen into the raging sea and broke one of his hips because nobody knew he was using a rig attachment on the underside of the bridge. Thinking no one was on it, the other workers began _dismantling_ it which is what caused him to fall!"

Shaking his head at the stupidity, Minato began pacing near the couch in edginess – impatient to find out what was causing the five year old's failing health.

"Anyway Rin, I'm glad you could make it. Ame's gotten much worse since he woke up this morning." The blonde stated as Rin sat down in the living room.

To allow Rin to organize, Minato temporarily busied himself by going over to the nearby hearth. He then lit a fire with a mild Katon jutsu in order to keep them warm from the dropping temperatures outside. Once finished, the man sat down over on the couch, adjacent to the chair Rin was in, and carefully shook the sleeping child awake.

Ame groaned deeply at first, before eventually sitting up with the blanket still wrapped around him and yawned widely. He leaned into Minato's side as he watched apprehensively how the woman sitting near them opened up a large bag in her lap.

"Ame, this is Rin; a former student of mine. She's here to give you a check-up and to find out what's making you sick." He reassured him, while noting happily how the boy was too tired to keep up his anxiety.

The child listlessly nodded while observing how Rin pulled out a number of different tools before standing up and moving an ottoman closer so that she could easily reach him.

"Now then, let's start off by listing out his symptoms." She professionally began. "Start with his earliest ones and then continue on until the most recent."

Thinking of their meeting the other day, Minato rubbed Ame's small back soothingly while complying. "Around three days ago now, he had a really severe coughing fit. I'm not sure how long he's had that, but it hasn't gone away. I'll hear little coughs from him now and then, but he's told me of a couple instances where the intense fits came back. He also has head and body aches and by feeling his temperature almost daily, I've noticed that his fever hasn't gone down at all either." He spoke worriedly, while Ame merely nodded beside him, still too sleepy to properly respond.

"After taking him in, he slept for a full two days, which I took for his body recovering from its sleep debt and exhaustion. Upon awaking though, his chest hurt and his throat is now sore. Then, just like an hour ago at the playground, he became light-headed and started to have chills and more aches." Minato concluded, to the concerned expression of Rin.

"Ok Ame, if it's all right with you, I need you to take you're shirt and shorts off so that I can examine the state your body is in. I know its cold sweetie, but it will only take a couple of minutes." She added, as Ame gave her a pained expression. "Besides, at least you get to keep your underwear on. Sensei, you should have seen how uncomfortable Obito became the last time I gave him a physical." She chuckled as she watched the hokage roll his eyes.

Grimacing at the image she had conjured up, Minato moved to help Ame maneuver the clothing over his frame, and then settled near him more closely as the boy's shivering became extremely apparent. However, Rin had stopped what she was doing the moment she beheld his famished and scar riddled body.

"Oh my…" she spoke soberly, not willing to believe her eyes.

Minato winced at her appalled expression. "Oh, I'm sorry Rin, I had forgotten that you weren't here last month when we found him. I should have had Tsunade brief you quickly before coming over." The blonde stated, remorsefully.

Taking a deep breath however, the young nurse found her composure and looked at the small boy apologetically.

"No, It's my fault, and I didn't mean to worry you. Lady Tsunade did in fact give me a run down of his condition, but I didn't think it would be this bad." She sadly explained, while gently running a thumb over the scars on his right arm.

Ame looked at her a bit quizzically as she reached into her pack. Picking up a stethoscope, she wrapped the earpieces around her neck to keep them out of the way while also pulling out a small, glass thermometer. "Alright little one, if you could open your mouth a bit so I can stick this in, I'll be able to get a reading on how high your fever is." She stated, while Ame obeyed and took the piece in his lips.

Waiting patiently for a minute, the kunoichi then gently pulled the instrument back, and upon reading it, she merely shook her head; much to the torture of the elder blonde who awaited her response.

"He has a fever of 102 degrees." She stated "And with his other symptoms, I have a strong inkling into what he might have."

Organizing her stethoscope again, Rin brought the earpieces into their correct positions and then held up the head of the instrument over towards Ame's bony chest, who squirmed a bit at having the cold metal make contact with his skin. Listening to his heart first, she focused the rest of her tests around his midsection, where she placed the bell over various areas. Leaning back briefly, Rin told him to turn around so that she could listen to his lungs from a different angle. She paused in her work though as she observed the long, distinct lacerations on his back.

"Are those whip-marks?" the young kunoichi questioned him furiously, which caused Minato to look at the five year old as well.

"…Yeah. I told you that they don't like it when I escape." Ame replied solemnly, while looking at Minato.

The older blonde nodded at him with one of the most depressed expressions Rin had ever seen.

She then continued her check-up and placed the instrument onto the child's lower back, while listening intently for a full minute before furrowing her brow and sitting back up.

"Well?" Minato finally asked, as he couldn't take her serious expression for much longer.

"He has pneumonia." Rin finally confirmed, while sadly watching the way Minato's face took on another look of extreme agony. "Oh, don't be too upset, sensei. It's still a serious illness and you have to keep him inside for the next couple of weeks, but at least it isn't something worse or something that I couldn't diagnose."

Minato still looked pained though as he moved to cover Ame with the thick blanket – heart warming slightly as the child stirred into his movements appreciatively.

"Are you sure?"

Rin nodded, while packing away her instruments and scribbling away notes in her medical journal.

"His heart beat is abnormally fast paced and he has a shortness of breath in listening to him inhale and exhale. I could also hear the fluid in his lungs as a distinct crackle through the earpieces." She started to explain. "Then, with what you described to me, he has the three main symptoms of pneumonia: fever, chills, and a cough, which often get mistaken for a cold or the flu."

Releasing a loud groan, the elder blonde carded a hand through his long bangs and looked over at Ame, who simply gazed back at him innocently and smiled.

"I'm ok, Mina. I'm just really tired and cold now."

Giving him a soft smile, Minato wordlessly pulled Ame into his arms, which he found was the right gesture as the child simply burrowed into his chest with a contented sigh.

"Rin, before I found him the other day, he was all alone just wandering the village aimlessly. Could that have caused it?" he asked, with concern. "It's been getting steadily colder each day now, and the thought of him having been outside in this low temperature absolutely crushes me."

Meeting his gaze with her own, she gave the child another once over. "Not directly." At seeing his confused face though, she smiled to try and make him relax. "I'm guessing he probably caught a cold or flu earlier on because of the elements, and that in turn developed into this more severe form. You can't catch pneumonia from simply being wet or in the cold; it's from a bacterial or viral infection in the lungs. However, from being in a damp or wet environment or out in the cold too long, then that could have hindered his immune system, meaning his body couldn't fight off simpler infections. So in a way, it was from him being outside." She concluded as the elder blonde sighed again.

The kage then watched as the girl moved over them and gently coaxed Ame out of his arms. The child gave an angry pout but submitted, and upon leaving Minato's grip, the kunoichi began to examine the boy's body more thoroughly and slid her hands over his ribcage with a serious expression.

Minato found he had to contain a sudden urge to pull the kid back while he watched Ame squirm away from Rin's prying hands - distress unfolding on the boy's face with every second.

"I'm not too worried about his sickness, sensei." Rin spoke suddenly; ignoring the disgruntled child. "What concerns me the most is his malnutrition. Coupled with the pneumonia and, I don't mean to scare you, but it could have deadly consequences if not treated properly." She stated, while watching the growing alarm on Minato's face.

"But-"

"Shush! Let me finish." Rin cut in impatiently, to the amusement of her sensei. "I'll have to take a blood test to make sure that there are no abnormalities and to see how his body is handling the lack of minerals and nutrients. That will also help me decide if his sickness is viral or not, and to check how his immune system is holding up to the multitude of things working against It." The girl concluded, while she finished examining the boy.

Ame glared at her as she retreated, which caused both adults to smile. However, he couldn't help the yawn that escaped from his lungs while leaning back into Minato's lap; content to simply take in as much warmth as he could.

"Now then, you'll have to start treating him for his starvation immediately." Rin stated in all seriousness. "You'll have to combat it by using both food and drugs. We'll start by giving him a round of dietary supplements and vitamins to replenish any deficiencies. Make sure to feed him meals that are high in protein as well, with lots of milk-based products. Things such as eggs, soups, bread, yogurt, and meat are all good…but make sure to monitor how he feels as his body most likely won't be used to being fed on a regular basis."

"You're writing this all down for me, right?" the Yondaime asked her, a bit pensively as she fixed him with a glare.

"Of course…we can't have you pulling an Obito now can we."

The man smiled at that. "Pulling an Obito…" he repeated quietly as he watched Rin write furiously again before eventually tearing off the paper from her notebook.

"This paper is double-layered so I have a copy too, just in case you lose the one from today." She calmly told him. "Now, I'm just going to take a quick sample of blood, since the testing won't take that long at all. However, the equipment I need to run the tests is back at the lab in the hospital, so I'll have to dash back really quickly." She finished, apologetically.

Minato looked up hopefully at that. "Oh good! If you see Jiraiya on your way, can you please, please, please beg him to come and see me tonight? Tell him that I don't give a damn about his research because it's an emergency." The man pleaded a bit childishly, as he watched Rin give him a skeptical look.

"What emergency is so great that you need to consult with _him_ for…" she ended openly, with an accusing frown.

"…It's personal…"

"…"

"…"

"Ok...then why can't you go out and get him. I'm not the one who has super speed you know...Or you could just summon a frog messenger."

"I'm too lazy right now and I need to stay focused to make Ame some dinner."

"Ugg! _Men_..." she huffed as Minato chuckled at her frazzled expression. "Fine..._IF_ I see him, I'll send him your way. But no promises, because you know it's Tsunade's gambling hour, so the pervert is probably out stalking her so that he can sneak a peak while she's piss drunk."

Giving her an adorable smile, Minato started laughing again as her frown only increased. He watched with a growing nervousness though as she pulled out a long, thick needle out of her pack.

"Ok, Ame…this may hurt a little, but it's necessary to start getting you on the track to better health." Rin told him smoothly.

Ame had started to fall asleep due to their boring conversation, but perked back up when he heard his name called. Upon seeing what was in her hands though, the child let out a cry and tried to back away into Minato, who calmly held him steady as more shivers ravaged his thin frame.

"It's alright, little one. I know it looks scary, but it will be over really soon. I promise." The elder told him soothingly. It didn't help his emotions though when he saw the watery eyes of the five-year-old look up at him, helplessly frightened.

"Ame, it's ok." He repeatedly whispered in his ear while looking back at the device and shuddering at the almost six-inch needle point.

The child turned back towards the needle too, which Rin held at a distance upon seeing his anguish. Trying to reign in his emotions so as not to appear weak, Ame grasped a hold of Minato's hand, who held it strongly, and leaned back down in the man's lap while looking away – his fear not quite abating.

Minato, sensing the child's resignation, turned to lock eyes with Rin and nodded at her. Her eyes glinted in understanding while she carefully set the syringe down and took hold of the young boy's arm. Using a pre-packaged alcohol wipe to sterilize his wrist, the medic-nin then picked up the needle and held it above his skin where it hovered for a second.

Minato held his breathe as he watched her suddenly impale the needle point into Ame's arm. The boy didn't make a huge fuss; he simply whimpered heartbreakingly into his chest as a sharp tremble ran through his small body. The elder blonde then watched tensely as the syringe drew up a small amount of the child's blood, and within a couple of seconds, was withdrawn. Once done, she dabbed another alcohol swab over his bleeding skin and pressed a band-aid over the spot – holding her fingers down on it for a minute to stop the blood flow.

"There you go. All done Ame!" Rin exclaimed.

Ame slowly turned his tear-filled face around and gave her a wounded expression. "That really hurt though."

"I'm sorry."

Minato soothingly rubbed over Ame's wrist and moved to sit up while the boy quickly took over his previous position by lying down on the couch and covering himself with the blanket – effectively shielding him from both adults. Minato grinned at his antics and patted him on the side before heading out of the living room towards the front door.

After having put all her equipment away, Rin soon joined the kage outside, where both of them were being illuminated by nothing more than the soft porch lights due to the dusky sunset.

"This should only take me like an hour at most sensei. I know how imperative it is that you get the results quickly." She stated with a modest smile.

"I'm just thankful you were able to come over at all today – especially with such short notice. Take as long as you need to." Minato said, while scratching his head. "Just, please don't forget-"

"I know, I know. Find Jiraiya." She finished for him with a grin. "I'll be back soon. Don't sweat it."

Nodding at him in a simple bow, Rin then took off at a ninja's pace towards the village.

* * *

Minato watched her go up until her silhouette crested past the tree-line. He then stepped back inside, shut the door, and headed over to the couch. Sitting down on the ottoman that Rin had previously occupied allowed the elder blonde to face Ame head on. Minato smiled as he beheld the way Ame's breathing moved the blanket up and down; in a rhythm that told the tell-tale sign that he wasn't asleep – simply observing.

"So…" the kage began in a humorous tone. "That wasn't too bad. Was it?"

His reply was an inaudible muffle.

"Pardon?"

"I said…don't ever let her come near me again."

"Aw, come now Ame. It was just a shot. We all have to have them."

"But she stabbed me…" the child cried, while finally revealing his head amongst the cloth pile. "Although…I guess I've dealt with worse - A whole lot worse." He concluded with a sniffle.

Smiling apologetically at his betrayed expression, Minato leaned over playfully wrapped the blanket around Ame's head and body so that he looked like a blonde parka – all with the speed of a kage.

"Ah! Mina!" the five year old complained with a giggle.

Laughing at the boy's now cynical gaze, the older blonde mussed up the few spikes that were sticking out of the trap.

"So, what would you like for dinner? Hmm?" Minato questioned him, while bemusedly watching as the child became a whirlwind of struggling limbs as he tried to escape his imprisonment. "I can make us some chicken soup. I'm a bit nervous as to what I can feed you now, so I think I'll start off with something relatively easy on the body."

"Soup sounds good!" the child stated as he finally untangled himself from the blanket.

Then, with an impish sparkle in his eyes, the boy stared at the elder blonde intensely which caused the man to pause in his movements. With a sudden pounce, Ame lunged at Minato, only to find himself caught around the midsection and playfully pushed down on the couch again; this time in a submissive position on his back, with the Yondaime hovering over him. Giggling hysterically, the boy stretched his legs and pushed his feet against the older blonde's chest to prevent him from coming any closer.

With a teasing grin on his face, Minato swiftly grabbed Ame's legs to pull them away while the child yelled excitedly and squirmed to try and break free.

"Haha! I'm sorry Mina!"

"Mark this as a lesson, kid. It'll take lots of practice to successfully pull off a sneak attack on _me_." He stated with a smirk while releasing the giggling child.

The elder blonde soon got up though, for the boy's stomach growled ravenously and sent the man on a little guilt trip. He caressed Ame on the back and headed towards the kitchen to start cooking; absently noting how the boy got up along with him and perched himself on one of the tall, kitchen counter chairs.

After a couple of minutes spent preparing the kitchen, Minato went into the pantry to look for ingredients as he waited for a pot to boil on the stove. Gathering some fresh herbs, seasonal vegetables, and salts, he then got out some recently caught poultry from the fridge and set about cutting the food into soup-sized pieces.

Ame looked at his process with great interest. He had never seen someone prepare soup in such a way; not counting the soup-like ramen the other night. All he had ever known was the processed stuff – usually eaten cold, right out of the can.

_Or in the garbage bins..._he thought while wrinkling his nose.

"What are you doing to it?" he asked suddenly, as Minato began ripping chunks off the bird.

Looking up at the boy and noting his puzzled expression, the older blonde smiled and gestured behind him at a window, overlooking a fenced section of the backyard.

"My wife had a great passion for gardening, so we always have the freshest herbs and vegetables available. As for this thing…" he stated briefly, referencing the chicken, "I try to only eat fresh foods and this was raised by some of our local farmers dotting the outskirts of the village. That processed crap is so terrible for you, and I especially hate getting mystery meats, so it's always farmer's market stuff for me. I'm simply making us some legit chicken soup…Oh! and let's not forget the noodles." The man added with a smile, as he fetched some pasta from the pantry.

Pondering his answer, the boy waited patiently as Minato set the chicken in a separate stove to cook more thoroughly. Looking down, Ame soon lost his train of thought as he marveled at the intricate designs of the granite countertop. _Wait, he said Wife just now!_ the child remembered; a nervous pang ripping through his heart. However, Ame was then reminded of a bigger mystery he wanted solved.

"Mina? Do you have kids of your own?" the five-year old asked bluntly. He observed with increasing curiosity the way the man abruptly paused in his cooking while a frown overcame his usually smiling face.

"What makes you ask that?"

Ame merely shrugged his shoulders. "The room I'm staying in looks like it was meant for one. There are toys and everything...not to mention the crib."

"Oh...the crib." Minato mused with a sheepish chuckle. "I had been meaning to put that away ages ago."

A heavy sigh escaped him, which caught the boy off guard. Minato then set down the knife he was using to cut up some green onions and looked down sadly.

"I had a child once." The man began quietly. "But he's gone though, so you don't have to worry. That room is all yours."

Ame started to become concerned when Minato passively went back to cooking while not losing the frown. Ever curious and oblivious to the man's unsaid withdrawal towards the subject, the child pulled his legs up on the stool to sit cross-legged while worrying his lip.

"What happened?" Ame asked quietly, noting the way the older blonde paused again and this time looked at him with an upset expression.

Grimacing, Minato simply finished cutting up the various ingredients before setting them in a pot to broil. Observing how the wait for the chicken to cook completely would at least take several minutes, he sighed in acquiescence to the boy's curiosity and in seeing where it was headed, leaned onto the counter to face him more directly. The older blonde then looked down to organize his thoughts before staring Ame in the eyes.

"My…son, Naruto." Minato began pensively. "He was…taken from me when he was only an infant. He was killed on his birthday - October tenth, exactly five years ago."

Ame's thought pattern was a bit chaotic as he beheld the response.

_That was when I was born…_

Controlling his own desire to speak up, the child waited for the man to continue, noticing sadly the way he was too late in detecting the sensitive nature of the topic.

"You remember earlier today when we discussed the Kyuubi?" the man continued softly.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'm going to tell you a secret. Ok? It's not exactly information meant to be given to those who can't hold their tongues." Minato joked half-heartedly.

Ame simply held his hand up to his mouth and pulled it while mimicking a zipper. He inwardly beamed while seeing Minato smile at the gesture.

"You can't really defeat any of the nine biju. Not by conventional means anyway." The older blonde began in a more intellectual voice. "When the Kyuubi attack came that night…it was so unexpected. I was with Kushina, my wife, since she had gone into labor a few hours before hand…so I really wasn't prepared for the carnage and destruction that the beast caused to the village. She later died in the hospital due to blood loss…"

Sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, Minato leaned his forearms over the granite and looked past Ame; into the twilight sky outside which was beginning to fill with stars.

"Like I said though, you can't just defeat or kill a tailed beast by attacking it. You have to seal it in something, be it an object…or a person. If you just destroyed its physical body with normal jutsus, then its soul would simply reform somewhere else."

"Whoa! You can seal them in people?" the child asked.

"Yes…but it's risky." Minato stated, with an admonishing smile towards Ame's enthusiasm. "If the demon's vessel is too weak to contain its power and mind, then corruption is inevitable and the beast can often cause severe damage through its host."

Ame still gazed up at him with an enthralled expression.

"Anyway, in order to seal away the Kyuubi I could only come up with two options: Either seal the beast into an adult ninja, who would probably succumb to the fox's evil intent, or force it into a newborn baby, who would be much more likely to handle its immense power if the infant's body was allowed to grow with the huge chakra in time. Looking back on that day though, there must have been another way…"

Ame looked at the kage's pained face and slowly made the connection. "You sealed the Kyuubi into your son. That's why he's gone."

A soft look was directed at him before Minato continued. "Yes. You have a sharp mind, little one. I couldn't ask another villager to hand over their own child to the demon, so I thought that in using my own boy, he would be cared for and protected by my friends due to his lineage."

"Why not by you though?" the five year old interjected again with a furrowed brow.

"Because…" Minato started. "I wasn't about to force the whole of the Kyuubi's chakra into my own son. I _couldn't_. So, instead I used a forbidden technique to summon the Shinigami. Using that jutsu, you can seal away anything, though I didn't have the strength needed to seal the whole beast. Using the Death God, I trapped the Kyuubi's Yin chakra, the dark chakra, while planning to use a different sealing technique to seal the Yang, the light, into Naruto; to be used if needed later on in his life. However, as payment the Death god always requires the caster to sacrifice their soul in exchange for the jutsu – effectively killing them. I was prepared to die that night, knowing that my son would be safe, if only from trivial dangers seeing as how I'm not ignorant to the fact that a Jinchuriki's life is often very hard."

"Jin…churiki?" Ame repeated slowly.

"It's a title referring to a human who has a biju sealed inside them."

"Oh, ok… wait, but if the demon's gone though how come you're still here?" Ame stated carefully, with worry in his eyes as he thought of what might have happened to him had Minato not entered into his life.

The older blonde simply shook his head as a haunted expression overcame his eyes. "I _shouldn't_ be alive right now…I don't know what happened. The Shinigami it…it decided to let me live for some reason; stating that it found pleasure in messing with fate." Minato concluded with a shiver. "And along with its perverse reasoning, it also decided to seal the whole of the Kyuubi's chakra into Naruto; both Yin and Yang. I know that because if all had gone according to plan, then I should have the Kyuubi's dark chakra inside me which would then have travelled with my soul into the Death God's stomach for an eternity had it killed me."

Ame was silent for a long time, contemplating the tale. He was still shocked at the fact that Minato could have died and also saddened that his wife was killed, yet he was then reminded that the man had summoned a God which caused the child to gaze up at the blonde in wonder.

_I've never met anyone like him before._ He mused with a sparkle in his eyes.

Minato sighed again and continued, seemingly on a roll now that his deepest secrets were being revealed. It only seemed fair to him, since he had pried Ame a couple of days ago for the boy's own dark past.

"Now, for your question as to what happened to Naruto…well…the sealing worked and the Kyuubi turned into a condensed form of chakra, which headed for a tower where my son was being kept." Minato began.

He spoke in a rambling breath since he had never before voiced in detail what had gone on all those years ago; the unveiling left him a bit solaced for some reason.

"Witnesses in the village described how the demon fought until the very last second, as its tails were still causing damage. One tail…struck the sealing tower that it was being pulled into…and the…the building then collapsed on itself into a heap of rubble and debris. No one was ever able to find my son's body in the aftermath." The man concluded; almost in a whisper.

Ame had no idea what to say. Keeping his mouth shut, his thoughts became a swirling mess while trying to come up with a proper response.

Minato, on the other hand, seemed to consider the topic done, as he merely turned around and started tending their dinner. The child stared intently at Minato's back, with numerous emotions rolling through him.

Above all, he felt deeply saddened by the fact that such a tragedy had befallen his saving grace; with such kindness in his heart that enabled him to take in a child off the streets. Ame once again felt that inexplicable envy towards other children if having a father was like what Minato was treating him towards today. Thinking of what his son could have enjoyed made him even more depressed, yet in a rare display of jealousy, Ame felt a bit happy of the fact due to his rescue by Minato. If the man's child had survived, then the older blonde probably wouldn't be so focused in saving a little street rat like him.

Ame also began to dwell on all the hardships this life had given him and thought what peace he would have had, had his life ended as a baby too.

_I wouldn't have any scars, or bloody beatings, or been starved... _

Gazing at the back of Minato's head, Ame wanted to show him how to look at the silver lining.

"…it's not so bad, Mina." The boy began tentatively, while carefully monitoring the older blonde's body language. He kept his face in a neutral position as the man turned around - a bit shocked.

"I know that it wasn't fair he was taken from you along with your wife, but…if he was only a baby, then he never had to face any pain or suffering in his life. I can't remember anything from when I was that young, so he too probably wasn't even aware of himself; nor of the pain of death." Ame explained, with a soft smile. "Now he's in heaven."

However, he anxiously observed the way Minato simply stared at him with an unreadable expression adorning his face. Frowning slightly at the long silence that lasted, the boy simply shrank a bit under the other's intense gaze. "You're not mad, are you?"

Minato started at his question and then calmly gave him a sweet smile. "No…I'm just marveling at your response is all. Sorry if I made you nervous. I guess I've just been too busy focusing on my despair these past few years, rather than trying to concentrate on other, happier thoughts like that."

The man then gave the child a look of suspicion, which once again made Ame slightly apprehensive. Leaning down on the counter again, he stared into the boy's sapphire eyes, which Ame found he couldn't look away from.

"You said that Blight took you when you were a baby, right?" the blonde asked suddenly.

"…Yeah."

Minato gave him a frown, which Ame noted wasn't directed at him per-say. "Do you know how old you were? Like, say a couple weeks or months?"

Ame scrunched up his face in remembrance of something Miya once told him. "I was only a couple of hours old, or something. He found me on my birthday. Why?"

However, upon hearing his answer, Minato's face went white. The older blonde never answered the child's question; he simply turned around again and tended the boiling pots on the stove; leaving a bewildered Ame to once again face his back.

"Mina…why?"

"I'll tell you later kid…" was the whispered reply.

Ignoring his cryptic behavior for now, the five year old sighed and busied himself by watching the man drain the boiled chicken broth into a separate pot. Minato added in the finished vegetables, noodles, and chicken pieces and, once done, let the concoction simmer for a bit before filling two bowls full of the fresh soup. He moved to sit on a stool next to Ame and placed a steaming bowl in front of the boy's salivating mouth.

The man soon shook his head and smiled though upon seeing the boy take a sip and, immediately after, yelp from the hot liquid.

"Ow, fuck!" Ame cried upon burning his tongue, although he flinched as he heard Minato snort his own soup next to him and cough.

"Ame!" The older blonde scolded while cleaning the spilt liquid off his face. "Where did you learn that word?"

His tone caused the child to cower slightly.

"Blight says it all the time." He mumbled while glancing down.

Minato looked at him sadly for a bit and then turned to blow at his soup to set an example. "I should have known…Ame that word is something only adults should use, and even then, very sparingly as it means something nasty."

"Oh, I know what it means…but I'm sorry Mina." The child whimpered.

Minato looked up, surprised at his response. "You do?" Sighing as the child nodded, the man closed his eyes and rubbed at them. "You don't have to apologize, little one. I simply have to face the facts that there will be instances like this due to how you were brought up. I just hope they haven't exposed you to anything else…god forbid any drugs."

Ame stared at him a bit nervously. "You mean like that poppy stuff?"

Minato looked at the boy with defeat in his eyes. "Please tell me it's just from distant observance that you have that kind of knowledge…"

The five year old simply smiled apologetically. "Well…when the other children and me are low on energy due to food scarcities, Blight will sometimes feed us a weird mixture of it and it makes us really relaxed and focused, so we can ignore the hunger pangs. He makes sure we utilize it for chores only though."

Snorting out of anger, Minato shook his head and pouted while returning to sip at his soup. "If I ever meet that man, I'll rip his goddamn throat out."

"Mina…I didn't make you angry, did I?"

The kage relaxed his face as he registered the mild fear. "No honey…I'm just concerned with all the things he might have done to you unsupervised down there. You're only a child…However, this is enough serious talk for one evening. Before eating though, please blow on your soup. Ok? I don't want you harming yourself unnecessarily." He concluded with a smile.

Ame reciprocated his grin and the two ate in silence for awhile as the boy happily ingested the hot meal. The broth made his body warm up significantly, which also made him notice that his chills had stopped a while ago.

"Hey, I'm feeling a lot better. Does that mean I'm not sick anymore?" Ame asked the man innocently.

Grinning at him, Minato ruffled his hair - causing the child to grimace.

"Sorry kid, but symptoms can come and go randomly throughout a sick-spell. You have to stay inside for at least the next week."

Ame looked up in mock horror. "A whole week!"

"Maybe less, depending on how well your body can fight off the sickness…or it could go the other way and it might be more than a week." He stated, while chuckling at the child's glum aura. "Don't worry though, as I'll try to give you things to keep you entertained. Don't forget all the toys upstairs, and you have my permission to harass the ANBU guarding the house."

Minato smiled as he felt a sudden air of annoyance permeate the household from his subordinates.

"ANBU?"

Glancing up at the nearest one, who was hiding out in the living room somewhere, Minato motioned towards the area with his head to get Ame's attention. "They are Konoha's elite Black Ops division of shinobi – usually assigned to the most dangerous of tasks - like assassination or reconnaissance. The one's staked out in and around the house though are my personal body guards, so you can rest assured that no rogue-nin will ever touch you while you're here."

Picking his bowl up to chug the rest of his meal, Minato then sighed contently and got up to clean.

"I'm sorry, but tomorrow I'm most likely going to have to be in my study all day. Paperwork has a way of stacking up even if I'm only gone for an hour, so I don't even want to know how far behind I am. I'll still be in the house though if you need me."

Ame smiled as he slowly finished his own dinner, which he found was amazingly satisfying; sipping up the very last noodles and broth left him feeling extremely full. He was about to sit up to help Minato when the older blonde practically read his mind and snatched his empty bowl away.

"I appreciate the incentive Ame, but there's no need for you to worry about trivial duties such as washing dishes. You busy yourself by just relaxing, ok." The man told him cheerily.

Ame tried to protest as he didn't feel comfortable simply doing nothing, but the kage fixed him with a stern gaze and he fell quiet.

The child then smiled as he felt happiness well up within him that calmed his ever present nerves. Yawning due to his full belly and content emotions, he hopped off the stool to go back and lay down on the warm couch. While burrowing into the blanket, Ame distantly kept an ear trained on Minato as he continued washing up in the sink, but before the child knew it, he had closed his eyes as sleep soon overcame his tiny body.

* * *

Once he had gotten the kitchen clean, Minato turned to find out where the five year old had gone when he saw him sleeping deeply on the sofa. Warmed by the sight, the man gently walked over and lifted up the light child to carry him upstairs. Briefly waking him in order to fit Ame into his new pajamas, Minato then set him down on the bed and tucked him in tightly with the comforter before turning on the nightlight. His movements barely stirred the child at all, as Ame simply breathed softly while nuzzled into the pillows.

Leaning down on the floor, Minato spent the next couple of minutes simply observing the boy. Using his hand, he lightly smoothed back the small blonde spikes and once again marveled at the likeness he saw within the child's face. He thought back to what the child had said about Naruto and frowned.

"My Naru isn't in heaven…" Minato pondered in a whispered breath as he felt goose-bumps form on his skin.

"He can't be, because he's right here in front of me. Isn't he…?" he stated to the silent room; listening absently to the way his heartbeat began to increase rapidly.

The elder blonde curiously brushed his hand against Ame's exposed whisker marks on his cheeks and laughed softly, as he felt tears prick the edges of his eyes. Minato stayed like that for a long time, and before he knew it, the doorbell rang once more.

_No doubt that's Rin. _He mused, as he felt himself getting closer to hysterics. _Please be with her, sensei. I really need you._

* * *

A.N. Don't you love how long this thing was, yet it's content only took place within a single day. I hate myself...Oh, and did anyone catch my (very small) Dane Cook reference. Snarky is too a word - Google that shit.

-Btw, the idea for Ame to randomly curse came from an experience with my step-brother, who blurted out the same word which he heard off of his friends on Xbox-live. Stupid 11-year old boys should **not** be on that...

-On a different note, I follow Naruto religiously from week to week, so please don't think I'm ignorant to all the minor history inconsistencies in my story. Just remember that I started this fic back in…idk, '08, and that was waaay before the big flashback revealing Naruto's real birth and the attack happened. I'm too lazy to change my first chapter and to add in Madara/Tobi's character, so it's staying the same…lol. Don't worry, I am aware that Kushina was previously the Kyuubi's host…but it makes things easier for me to just leave it with a different origin.

-Also, that whole tidbit with the Tengu thing was totally made up. I did some brief research (wikipedia) into the Japanese folklore on it and I know they're mainly bad omens, etc..etc…but there was this one section that described them as protectors, and that's what I latched onto for the sake of an interesting conversation piece. I'm sorry if I offended any historians out there. T^T

-I also did my own studies into pneumonia and its symptoms, but most of what I wrote was based on common knowledge. The stuff I wrote on treating malnutrition was not though, so I once more did some brief research (again: wikipedia) so if there are any medical professionals out there who know more than I do and who wince at how much a fucked it up, I'm sorry for offending you too! ;A;

-In finishing that up, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I always gush every time I see one, as I pick apart this story for mistakes like no one else, so I can't believe that there are people who actually read it – especially given the length of each chapter. I want to particularly thank the reviewer who mentioned for me to include some sort of conflict with Danzo though, as I had never really thought about adding in a scenario with him before. That little suggestion, I think, makes the whole Underground scenario seem much more believable.

-That's why I love critiques; so if any one else has suggestions on ways to improve things or add in little details, feel free to tell me. I know I don't write perfectly and I probably forget to address certain issues that I wrote about in previous chapters, but I'm trying my best to organize my notes for the future ones in such a way that it ties in everything that I've created so far. Thank you again for the support, and I hope that the next chapter doesn't take too long for me to dish out.

P.S. Let me know if my dialogue scenes are believable or not. I re-read chapters 1-4, and they suck. There were too many spaces and paragraphs between people talking and I'm not sure if the way I organized people's speech was "fluid" or normal. Writing is _not_ my forte, and therefore dialogue is nowhere _near_ my forte, so I tried really hard to address that and make it seem more dynamic in this chapter. I'm not sure if I succeeded or not because I've proofread the thing too many times to the point where I can't properly evaluate it.

In gist: Feel free to be judgmental towards my writing! :D

P.P.S. Skyrim has officially taken over my life. ;A; Best. Game. Ever. (aaaand this was a super long Author's Note so for that I apologize. ^^)


End file.
